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Rich Christmas cake

  by Jill May
Preperation time: 12 hours 30 mins
Cooking time: 4 hours 20 mins
Serves: 6

Recipe Ingredients
500g currants
500g raisins
2 cups sultanas
2 cups chopped dates
150g chopped crystallised ginger
150g mixed peel
150g glace cherries, halved
2 tbsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 fresh orange juice
1/4 tsp almond essence
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup blanched almonds
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp mixed spice
250g butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp treacle
5 eggs

 
Recipe Method
Put all the fruit in a saucepan. Add the orange rind, rum and orange juice. Cover. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook gently for 15 minutes to plump the fruit. Remove from the heat. Stir then set aside overnight.

Add the essences, lemon rind and almonds into the mixture.

Sift the flour, soda and spices into a bowl. Cream butter, sugar and treacle until light and fluffy and then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold a spoonful of the sifted flour into the fruit mixture, then do the same with the egg mixture. Carry on alternately until both mixtures have been added to the fruit.

Spoon mixture into a greased and lined 25cm round cake tin. Bake at 150c for 4 hours or until an inserted skewer comes out clean when tested. Leave in tin until cold. Wrap in foil and store in a cool place.

Printable Version

 
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