Christmas Cake Part 1, Baking

This post was due about a week ago, but I got stuck down by tonsillitis and have been lolling about in bed for days without the energy to do anything in particular. Now I'm pleased to say the antibiotics have worked their magic, I've upgraded to the sofa and it's time to talk about Christmas cake.

Everyone has their own quirks when it comes to Christmas cake - when to make it, what to put in it, how often to feed it - this is just my preference. Late October/early November is, in my opinion, the perfect time to bake it. It's the time of year when I feel Christmassy enough to start to prepare for Christmas, but not to actually start celebrating - I like to save that for December. The odd whiff of Christmas is enough just now - and baking this cake doesn't half give you a good whiff.

Christmas Cake 

225g Plain flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Mixed Spice

200g Butter

200g Dark brown sugar

2 tbsp Black treacle

1 tbsp Marmalade

1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence

4 Eggs (free range)

800g Mixed Dried Fruit

250g Chopped mixed peel

200g Halved glacé cherries

Brandy

1. Put the plain flour, salt and mixed spice in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cream the butter and the dark brown sugar.

3. Add the treacle, trying not to get into the stick mess I managed!

4. Also add the marmalade - make it a generous tablespoon - the orange is delicious with the fruit.

5. Mix in the eggs until you have a sloppy batter.

6. Remember the flour mixture from step one? Mix that in now. Then remove from the free standin mixer if you've been using one. If you haven't, I bet you've got better arms than me!

7. Add the mixed dried fruit and combine. Then the peel, then the glacé cherries. Some people use almonds, but I like to up the fruit instead, I think you get enough of an almondy taste from the marzipan when it's eventually rolled on top.

8. Grease and line a 20cm baking tin, all the way up past the top of the edge of the tin! This is one cake you don't want sticking.

9. Pour the batter in, making sure to make a little dip in the middle so you get a lovely flat top. Bake in the oven at 150C/Gas Mark 2 for... well - it seemed like forever here. I wouldn't recommend starting your Christmas cake at 8pm on a Sunday night if your oven is as slow as mine. Probably three hours, but if it still isn't done after that, check it every twenty minutes - you don't want it to dry out! If the top starts to catch pop some tinfoil over it. Every time you open the oven, take a quick second to inhale the fantastic Christmas smell. If that doesn't put you in a good mood, I don't know what will.

10. When it comes out, poke some holes in it and drizzle over a generous amount of brandy. Do this every week until the week you want to ice it - then hold back.

Just before Christmas there will be Christmas Cake - Part 2, Icing, coming your way. I still haven't decided exactly what I'm going to do with it, there's so many options!

Here's what I did last year - I'm going to go more adventurous this year I think!