Last minute Christmas cake

GIFT VOUCHERS FOR IN-HOME COOKING CLASSES NOW AVAILABLE FOR CHRISTMAS!  Please email me, trudy@cookwise.com.au for more information.

If you are like everyone else and Christmas has sneaked up on you this year then this Last minute Christmas cake is just what you need to mix together to get you into the Christmas spirit.  Like our Best-ever Pudding here, we do like dark, rich, un-iced cakes.  Funny about that, you grow up in a family that either has cakes with icing or without.

I can remember my mother telling us that she didn’t have time to make a Christmas cake months ahead.  If she missed a particular week in November at the latest, that was it we didn’t get one!  Pity she didn’t know about this recipe in those days as we really disliked dry, purchased cakes and it spoilt Christmas not to have a cake to eat.

So if you have the need for a last minute Christmas cake then try this recipe.  The brandy-soaked dried fruit and fruit mince fast-track the mixture to give it all the qualities that a cake that has been baked months ahead.  You can, if you wish, make it way ahead of time if you prefer and keep it in an air tight container.

Happy Christmas to you all and thank you for your support during the year.  Watch this space as I try to do some more exciting things next year 🙂

Ingredients: 
530g mixed dried fruit
70g mixed peel
75g dates, chopped
75g pitted prunes, chopped
½ cup brandy
410g jar fruit mince
250g butter, melted then cooled
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten lightly
2 cups plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
blanched whole almonds to decorate
extra ¼ cup brandy (optional)

Method:

1. Soak the dried fruit in half cup of brandy, covered overnight.
2. Line a deep square 22cm tin with 2 layers of brown paper and 2 layers of baking paper.  Extend the paper 5cm above the top of the tin as shown.
3. Preheat oven to 120°C Fan forced and set rack at the bottom rack in the combi oven or above centre in a conventional oven.  I use the combi for this type of baking as it is a more accurate temperature than my conventional oven and a smaller cavity to heat, therefore being more economical to run.
4. Mix bottled fruit mince into the brandy-soaked dried-fruit.
5. Stir in butter and sugar and mix well.
6. Add eggs and sifted dry ingredients and mix well.  Spread mixture into tin and smooth top.
7. Decorate with blanched almonds as shown.
8. Bake for 2¾ hours or until cooked when tested.  Brush cake with extra brandy if required and cover whilst still hot with foil.  Wrap in a large towel and let cool in tin overnight.  If you are not brushing it with extra brandy then remove from tin, cool and place in an air-tight container.

Enjoy!