Grandma's Christmas Cake
We all have our own little family traditions and some special things like recipes can not be imitated in the same way other than the one you know.
My Grandma's Christmas cake is a bit like that. She has made it for as long as I can remember and since my marriage has had to make extra cakes for the different households.
I thought that I would share her recipe and process as some of you might never had one or might like to use it as your own.
It all started from a Delia Smith recipe that she goes back to year after year from her Christmas book which was first published in 1990.
This is the ingredients list taken straight from the book.
The directions are long so I have take some other photos.
Yesterday my Grandma pre-soaked dried fruit and chopped almonds in brandy. This has had about 24 hours sitting time so they get nice and juicy.
Mix the butter, soft brown sugar, black treacle and eggs in a mixer. Place in a large bowl.
Add the flour and spices and fold into the the mixture.
Tip all of your pre-soaked fruits into the mix and give a jolly good stir.
Get your tins and make sure they are lined with a paper case. We are making loaves as it allows for less waste in each household as we cannot make it through a large round cake!
Measure out enough mixture to suit you needs. This recipe is for one large round or for 2 smaller rounds or loaves.
For these tins we are weighing out approximately 1lb 10 ounces each which is our mixture halved.
Cover the tops of the cake in grease proof or newspaper and cut a 50p sized hole in the top. This gives the top extra protection for the long cooking process.
Preheat the oven at 130 degrees C. Bake for an hour and a half to 2 hours for the smaller cakes and up to 4 hours for a large round cake.
Over the next 3 weeks feed them by pricking the underside of the cake and pour on a table spoon of brandy. This really lifts the flavour and makes the cake moist.
Just before Christmas we get given the cakes and then it is down to us to decorate them. My mum has used the same decorations for years but I decorate mine all in royal icing. I will share the finished piece with you closer to Christmas.
Post by Emily
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