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Christmas cake, which started out as plum porridge, is an English tradition. On Christmas Eve, people ate porridge and used it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. The dried fruit, spices, and butter were added to the porridge mixture, and gradually it developed into Christmas pudding.
Oatmeal was omitted from the original recipe in the 16th century, and butter, wheat flour, and eggs were added. Such ingredients helped to keep the mixture together, resulting in a boiled plum cake. For Easter, wealthier families who had ovens started producing fruit cakes with marzipan, an almond sugar paste. They made a similar cake for Christmas using seasonal dried fruit and spices. This dessert was called a "Christmas cake."
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and Put mixed dried fruit, the zest, and juice of orange and lemon, coffee, and brown sugar set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30-45 minutes. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 150C. Line a 20 cm deep cake pan with a double layer of baking parchment, then loop a double layer of newspaper around the outside, to protect the tie with string.
To the fruit mixture, add ground almonds, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, flaked almonds, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking powder. Fold in the flour mixture to the fruit mixture, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Using a spatula, level the top. The top can be decorated with extra halves almonds, cherries, etc.
Bake for 2 hrs in the center of the oven. When baked the center, the cake should feel firm to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean
Take the cake from the oven and leave the cake on a wire rack to cool entirely in the tin before removing it.
.
Now with a skewer or a fork, you can poke holes in the top and bottom of the cake and pour tea of your choice, half on top, wait ten minutes, then turn it over and pour the rest of the half on the bottom.
Peel off the baking parchment to store, then cover well in cling film. Feed the cake every fortnight with 1-2 tablespoons of tea or fruit juice, before you frost it up. For the final week, do not feed the cake and allow the surface a chance to dry before it is iced.
You should apply a coating of marzipan before serving or brush it with a simple glaze if you have covered the top with fruit and nuts.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and Put mixed dried fruit, the zest, and juice of orange and lemon, coffee, and brown sugar set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30-45 minutes. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 150C. Line a 20 cm deep cake pan with a double layer of baking parchment, then loop a double layer of newspaper around the outside, to protect the tie with string.
To the fruit mixture, add ground almonds, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, flaked almonds, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking powder. Fold in the flour mixture to the fruit mixture, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Using a spatula, level the top. The top can be decorated with extra halves almonds, cherries, etc.
Bake for 2 hrs in the center of the oven. When baked the center, the cake should feel firm to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean
Take the cake from the oven and leave the cake on a wire rack to cool entirely in the tin before removing it.
.
Now with a skewer or a fork, you can poke holes in the top and bottom of the cake and pour tea of your choice, half on top, wait ten minutes, then turn it over and pour the rest of the half on the bottom.
Peel off the baking parchment to store, then cover well in cling film. Feed the cake every fortnight with 1-2 tablespoons of tea or fruit juice, before you frost it up. For the final week, do not feed the cake and allow the surface a chance to dry before it is iced.