best ever xmas cake

[manzanilla]

I lost my recipe so PercyPickwick found it and copied it out for me

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I had a browse and found my copy of last year's Christmas GFM. The recipe is as follows:

280g sultanas
280g raisins
280g currants
175g glace cherries
175g mixed citrus peel
150ml brandy or rum
2tbsp sherry (optional)
2tbsp orange juice (optional)
225g self raising flour
85g ground almonds
1 headed tsp mixed spice
1tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
225g unsalted butter at room temperature
225g dark muscovado sugar
6 eggs
zest and juice of 1 large unwaxed lemon

For the Decoration
2tbsp apricot jam
225g marzipan
250g white ready-to-roll icing
silver balls and ribbon to decorate

1. Put the dried fruit and peel in a bowl and pour over the brandy or rum and sherry. Mix well and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for at least a month. Stir the fruits every few weeks. If they look dry add more booze or a splash of orange juice

2. Start making the cake once the fruits are plum. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Butter a 20cm round cake tin - about 7.5 cm deep - and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper. To protect the cake from burning, tie a double layer of greaseproof paper around the outside of the tin.

3. Blitz the soaked fruit mizture in three batches in a food processor, blitzing the final batch only lightly to keep some bite and texture to the fruit. Mix the flour, almonds and spices in a large bowl and stir in the fruits. Don't worry if it's hard to mix.

4. Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, one by one. Stir into the fruit mixture bit by bit, along with the lemon zest and juice.

5. Tip the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Reduce the heat to 140C/120C fan/gas 1 and bake for 3-3 1/2 hours (4h in a gas oven). Take care it doesn't overcook. Insert a skewer deep into the cake, if it comes out clean, it's cooked. Cool slightly, remove from tin, and cool on a wire rack.

6. Store in a double layer of greaseproof paper, wrapped in foil until ready to ice. You can store the cake for up to 3 months. Make sure you 'feed' the cake by making skewer holes and pouring in brandy or rum every few weeks. Wrap up the cake tightly after every 'feed'.

7. Brush the top of the cake with jam, roll out the marzipan to fit and place it on top. Reserve a small piece of icing and roll out the rest and cover the marzipan. Roll out the reserved icing and cut out holly leaves with cutters. Gently press them on the edge of the icing, dampening under each leaf with water to secure. Decorate with silver balls and ribbon.

(Good Food Magazine, Christmas 2004, pg 162)

Hope this helps.

ATB

[kodokan]

And that's both my essential Christmas recipes moved over - thanks!