Blogmas Day 4... How to Bake Christmas Cake!

Hey hey,

I am still going strong.  So today I have been baking Christmas Cake.  This is my second one this year as I have already made my own cake and this one is going to be cut into 4 mini cakes and decorated.  I will should you how to decorate the cakes later in the month.

This is a variation on a traditional English Christmas Cake. 

What are you going to need?

• 225g plain flour
• ¼ tsp salt 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1tsp ground nutmeg
• 200g room temp butter
• 200g dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
  
• 2 tbsp jam (any jam will do I used 1 tbsp strawberry & 1 tbsp Plum)
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 800g mixed dried fruit
  
• 150g glace cherry's sliced
• 100g chopped almonds
• spirit of your choice - I am using Morgans spiced rum.

  
  

  What you need to do.. 

  
  

  Over night soak your dried fruit in a few tbsp of rum. 

  
  

  1. Pre heat oven to 150c or 300f 

  
  2. Grease and line your 7 inch round tin or I am using 6 inch square so I can make two cakes and cut them into mini ones later
  

  

  3. Sieve the flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  4. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the honey, jam and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.
  

  

  5. Mix the eggs a little at a time into the mixture adding a tablespoon of flour mixture with the last amount.

  
  6. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until well mixed

  
  7.  Then mix in the dried fruit glace cherries and the almonds.
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  8.  Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the center.
  

  

  9. Bake for about 2.5 hrs before checking every 20min by inserting a skewer.  The cake is ready when the skewer comes out clean. 
  
  10. Leave to cool in the tin for 15min before turning out onto a rack to cool for a further hour

  

  11. For a boozy cake prick some holes into the cake and pour 4 or 5 tbsp of your favorite booze.  I am using spiced rum.  Cover the cake in tin foil and store in an air tight container or tin.  For a super moist cake I highly recommend each week pouring another few tbsps of booze over.
  
  12.  A few days before you would like to eat the cake cover in marzipan and icing.  I will show another how too on this later in the month.