make | christmas cake!!

So, it's getting near to that time of year again everyone! I hope you are looking forward to a good relaxing break, and to showering all your favourite people with love.  I can't believe this year has gone so quickly! This weekend, we seized the moment, and decided to bake our Christmas cake.  This recipe will make one round cake in a tin with a diameter of about 20cm.  It's not got too much sugar or saturated fat either, so it's a little bit healthier than standard Christmas fare.  But Christmas is all about indulging and living it up a bit, so don't worry too much - you can always live more healthfully again in the New Year! The cake still comes out rich in fruit and dark, two things our Dad requires in a good Christmas cake.  Our advice is to make ahead and feed with brandy every week until you marzipan and ice it.  Have fun with your decoration! We will keep you updated with what we choose to do with ours.

Merry Christmas in advance everyone!

- rosinaviolets    x

Christmas Cake
Makes 1 20cm round cake

20cm round cake tin
375ml orange juice
200g candied orange peel
150g dried cranberries
150g chopped dried apricots
150g chopped prunes
100g currants
140g plain flour (keep half back to coat the fruit)
100g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
60ml olive oil
2 tablespoons margarine, at room temperature
3 tablespoons black treacle
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites

• Grease the cake tin with some margarine.  Line it with a double layer of baking parchment.  Preheat the oven to 140C.  

• Bring the orange juice to a simmer in a small pan.  Mix the orange peel, dried cranberries, apricots, prunes and currants in a large bowl and pour the orange juice over the fruit.  Let the bowl sit for about 10 minutes until most of the juice is absorbed.  Strain out any excess before tossing the fruit with 70g plain flour, to coat.  

• In another bowl, stir together the rest of the plain flour (70g), baking powder, wholemeal self-raising flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and salt.  

• In another (sorry washer uppers!) bowl, put the sugar, oil and margarine.  Use an electric whisk to beat together until smooth.  This will take about 2 minutes.  

• Beat in the black treacle and the vanilla extract.  Now add the egg whites and whisk for a couple of minutes to incorporate some air.  

• Use the electric whisk to beat in the dry ingredients. 

• Now pour in the fruit mixture.  Mix it well! Let everyone have a go at stirring, for good luck.  

• Put the mixture into your prepared tin, and bake in the centre of the oven for up to 3 hours.  Check on it during the last hour.  The cake should be lightly browned, and firm to the touch.  If you put a skewer into the centre, it should come out clean. 

• Let the cake cool in the pan sitting on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Then you can take it out of the pan, and let it cool completely.  

• To get it all boozy in time for Christmas, you can either wrap the cake in a piece of cheesecloth drizzled in 2 tablespoons of brandy, then cover it all up in cling film and then foil.  You can leave it in a cool place for up to 2 months, adding a bit more brandy to the cloth every fortnight. Alternatively, you can skewer all over the top of the cake in concentric circles and drizzle a tablespoon of brandy over the top once a week.  Make sure after each addition you wrap the cake up again really well, and don't keep it anywhere warm.  If in doubt, make some room in the fridge.