Christmas Cake 2011

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

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Following on from this thread last year:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18215460

Last year was my first attempt and this was the end result:

Gimpymoo said:
Ok.....

Go easy on me.. this is the first cake I have ever made (Probably made one at school but that was years ago).

cake.JPG


Need to add some ribbon and a "Merry Christmas" bit.
Click to expand...

I will be starting mine at the weekend :eek:

What tipple do people recommend to feed the cake with?
 
Ha! As soon as I saw the thread title I know it was you who started it. :D

I have no idea what I shall conjure up this year. Will start looking!
 
Hah, you ice your cake exactly how I normally do!

Here's my last (2009) effort (minus the royal icing)

dscf3356x.jpg


Will most definitely be making one this year, seeing as I've just forked out on some nice new pans and bits :D

As for feeding it, I use brandy, poured into evenly placed stab holes, for around 2 weeks before icing it.
 
Any good tried and tested recipes? I wouldn't mind making a Christmas cake. No one I know actually likes them, but what the hell!

I put my brussel sprouts onto boil last week, do I have enough time? :o
 
Ahleckz said:
Any good tried and tested recipes? I wouldn't mind making a Christmas cake. No one I know actually likes them, but what the hell!

I put my brussel sprouts onto boil last week, do I have enough time? :o
Click to expand...

I think this is the recipe I used (pic above). One thing I SERIOUSLY questioned, was the cooking time.... I think closer to two hours (or maybe less) was fine.... so beware!

Ingredients:

2 x 500g pack luxury dried fruit
150ml brandy
100g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
50g whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped
grated zest & juice of 1 orange
grated zest & juice of 1 lemon
275g butter, softened
275g unrefined dark brown soft sugar
5 medium size eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons black treacle
325g plain flour
1 tablespoon ground mixed spice
50g ground almonds

Method:

1. Place the dried fruit in a large bowl & stir through the brandy, cover & leave to stand overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 150°C, 300°C, gas mark 2. Grease & line a 20.5cm round cake tin. Tie a double thickness of brown paper around the outside of the cake tin.

3. Stir the nuts into the dried fruit mixture with the zest & juice of the orange & lemon. Cream the butter & sugar together. Gradually add the beaten eggs & the treacle. Stir in the fruit & nuts. Sieve the flour & spices together & fold into the mixture with the ground almonds.

4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin & smooth the surface with the back of a wet metal spoon, making a slight indentation in the centre (this gives the cake a level top when it cooks).

5. Place a circle of greaseproof paper, slightly larger than the tin, with a 5cm hole in the centre, over the top of the cake; this prevents the surface from over cooking.

6. Place the cake on the centre shelf in the preheated oven & bake for approximately 4½ - 5 hours. Check after 4½ hours with a metal skewer, if the inserted skewer comes out clean, then the cake is cooked. Leave the cake in the tin until it is cold, and then peel off the greaseproof paper.

7. Wrap in fresh greaseproof paper and tin foil & store. Follow Cook's Tip for how to mature the cake.

8. Cook's Tip: Once the cake is cold, turn it upside down on the wire rack & make holes in the cake using a skewer. Drizzle a few tablespoons of brandy or alcohol of your choice, over the base of the cake, allowing it to soak into the holes. Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper & then in foil. Each month feed the cake with a tablespoon of alcohol. Do not use too much alcohol otherwise the cake will become soggy.
 
Ahleckz said:
Any good tried and tested recipes? I wouldn't mind making a Christmas cake. No one I know actually likes them, but what the hell!
Click to expand...

ingredients
450g/1lb sultanas
375g/13oz raisins, chopped
225g/8oz currants
225g/8oz glacé cherries,
quartered
250ml/9fl oz brandy, plus extra
1 tablespoon, to glaze
225g/8oz butter
200g/7oz Demerara sugar
2 tablespoons apricot jam
2 tablespoons treacle
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
4 eggs
300g/11oz plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Put the sultanas, raisins, currants and cherries in a bowl with the
250ml/9fl oz brandy, and soak overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2. Lightly grease and line
a deep 23cm/9in round cake tin.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until
just combined. Beat in the jam, treacle and lemon zest. Add the eggs,
one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Stir the fruit, flour and spices alternately into the mixture, mixing until the
ingredients are combined.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin, and smooth the surface. Tap the tin on the
bench to remove any air bubbles. and level the surface with wet hands.
• Bake for 3–31⁄4 hours. Brush the surface with the extra tablespoon of
brandy. Cover the top of the cake with baking parchment, and wrap in
a tea towel. Allow to cool completely before turning out of the tin.
• To store, wrap the cake in a double thickness of greaseproof paper, and keep in an airtight tin. Leave to ‘mature’ for a few days before eating.
 
I once saw a bakery programme on TV where she bought some sort of icing from the supermarket and just pasted it onto the cake to give that white professional look. I can't remember the name of the programme or what she bought tho....wish I could 'cus I'd love to buy that stuff and finish the cake off with it. All I remember was she was dark skinned and fit!!! :)

EDIT: Lorraine Pascale
EDIT #2: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/three-tier_red_velvet_17795
EDIT #3: 1.25kg/2lb 12oz ready-to-roll white icing :D
 
Last edited:
I decided to make my Christmas cake last night - bunged it in the oven just before 21:00 then realised it takes around 4 hours to bake.... didn't take it out until about 1:30 in the end... oopsie!

20111023083322.jpg


Will be feeding it lots of Brandy between now and when I decide to slap on the marzipan and icing!

I think I might make some additional effort this year and decorate it with some royal icing as well... if I can be arsed :p
 
Got 2 that I'm feeding with brandy this year. One is a log shape that I'm going to attempt to wrap all round in marzipan and icing :p
 
Is royal icing the one where you heat up eggs whites and sugar?

Mum makes all the traditional puddings, well xmas cake is shop bought these days, but the 70's style triffle, complete the 70's style canned foods afair to make it authentique. Xmas pudding, more or less the lot. Shame we basically don't like it.

Thinking about baking various pudding's we'll all enjoy. But not sure how to xmas up a chocolate tart and lemon drizzle cake, which are my current two thoughts.
 
ash_scotland88 said:
Is royal icing the one where you heat up eggs whites and sugar?
Click to expand...

Kinda, although you maybe getting confused with Italian merrangue (heated sugar + egg whites).

Royal icing is just icing sugar + egg whites... and without an electric mixer, it destroys your forearms! :D (in my experience anyway :p)
 
OCdude said:
Kinda, although you maybe getting confused with Italian merrangue (heated sugar + egg whites).

Royal icing is just icing sugar + egg whites... and without an electric mixer, it destroys your forearms! :D (in my experience anyway :p)
Click to expand...

Found the recipe I used.

They call it american frosting.

9. For the American frosting: : bring to the boil a saucepan of water large enough to hold a heatproof bowl. Place the egg whites in the bowl and whisk with a hand-held electric beater until very stiff.

10. In a separate saucepan over a medium–high heat, dissolve the sugar in the water and boil for 5–10 minutes until the liquid is thick and syrupy and has reached the ‘thread’ stage – when the last few drops that fall from a metal spoon dipped into the syrup come off in one long, quite thick and syrupy thread

11. Pour the boiling syrup over the stiffly beaten egg whites, whisking all the time with the hand-held beater. Place the bowl in the saucepan of simmering water. Continue to whisk over the water for 10–15 minutes until the icing is snow white, very thick and meringue-like.

12. Spread quickly over the cake with a palette knife, regularly dipping the knife into a jug of boiling water to help spread the icing. It sets very quickly at this stage, so speed is essential.
 
ash_scotland88 said:
Found the recipe I used.

They call it american frosting.

9. For the American frosting: : bring to the boil a saucepan of water large enough to hold a heatproof bowl. Place the egg whites in the bowl and whisk with a hand-held electric beater until very stiff.

10. In a separate saucepan over a medium–high heat, dissolve the sugar in the water and boil for 5–10 minutes until the liquid is thick and syrupy and has reached the ‘thread’ stage – when the last few drops that fall from a metal spoon dipped into the syrup come off in one long, quite thick and syrupy thread

11. Pour the boiling syrup over the stiffly beaten egg whites, whisking all the time with the hand-held beater. Place the bowl in the saucepan of simmering water. Continue to whisk over the water for 10–15 minutes until the icing is snow white, very thick and meringue-like.

12. Spread quickly over the cake with a palette knife, regularly dipping the knife into a jug of boiling water to help spread the icing. It sets very quickly at this stage, so speed is essential.
Click to expand...

Ohh weird, not heard of that! I wonder if it's like fondant icing... let us know how it turns out! :p
 
Ok... despite the best plans to start early... I have only just got round to it :(

My question is, using Amaretto instead of Brandy, thoughts?

Also, if soaking the fruit overnight, it can be left covered at room temperature right?

Thanks.
 
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