Boozy 'n Easy Christmas Cake Recipe

Especially for FarmGirl, here is the recipe for my now infamous Christmas cake....

It really is easy, even for a novice like me!

Nigella would approve.....

Time
45 minutes preparation time
3 to 3½ hours cooking time

Ingredients	Imperial	Metric
Butter or margarine at room temperature (1 hour or so out of the fridge)	8 oz	230 g
5 medium eggs	-	-
Mixed Fruit (e.g. currants, raisins, sultanas, peel)	1½ lb	680 g
Glace cherries - roughly chopped	2 oz	60 g
Mixed spice	½ teaspoon	½ teaspoon
Ground almonds	2 oz	60 g
Demerara sugar	8 oz	230 g
Almonds - roughly chopped	2 oz	60 g
Self-raising flour	12 oz	340 g
Brandy or rum	4 fl oz	110 ml
Milk - if needed to adjust consistency of mixture	2 fl oz	55 ml

Note! You will need more brandy to add to the cake as it matures. 

Allow for another 4 fl oz / 110 ml.

Cooking utensils

1 cake tin - 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 inch) diameter
A large mixing bowl

Greaseproof paper

Oven temperature
170°C, 325°F, Gas Mark 3 (reduce temperature for fan-assisted oven)


Method
Ideally, first soak the dried fruit in the brandy/rum overnight....

Grease the inside of the cake tin with butter, margarine or oil. Cover the inside of the cake tin with greaseproof paper....

Cream the sugar and butter, then slowly add the eggs.....

Turn the oven on now so that it is pre-heated to the right temperature.

Add the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice and gently mix them in. The object here is to mix all the ingredients well but not to 'knock' the air out of the mixture. Do this by using a spatula and gently stir in a figure of 8. It will take about 30 seconds to mix up all the ingredients....

Add the soaked mixed fruit, glace cherries and chopped almonds. 

Gently mix the ingredients together using a spatula as described previously. The consistency of the mix should be such that the mixture will drop off a spoon with some reluctance. If the mixture is too thick, add some of the milk and mix gently again.

Gently spoon the mixture into the cake tin lined with greaseproof paper. Level out the mixture using the spatula.

Make a small well in the centre of the mixture. This will prevent the cake from rising too excessively in the centre when it is baking.

My mom's tip: Stand the cake tin on a layer of salt on a baking tray to prevent burning!

Bake for 3 to 3½ hours (pre-heated oven 170°C, 325°F, Gas Mark 3), 20 minutes less for fan assisted ovens. Turn the cake round in the oven once or twice during baking to ensure that it evenly cooks. When the cake is cooked, the top will probably be slightly cracked. Check if the Christmas Cake is cooked properly by inserting a skewer or thin knife into the cake. If it's reasonably clean when you take it out, the cake is cooked. If there are bits stuck to the skewer / knife it needs cooking a bit more. Note! Ovens differ in how fast they cook so check your cake after 2½ hours and then every 20 minutes to see if it is cooked. Let the cake cool for a couple of hours then prepare it for storage. Cover with greaseproof paper then either wrap it in foil or store it in an airtight container. Ideally, the cake should be matured for a month or more before icing it. If storing the cake for more than two weeks, add a small amount of brandy to the cake every two weeks. The best way to add brandy is to turn the cake upside down, prick it with a fork in several places then sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brandy over the base of the cake. Rewrap the cake as before, base downwards. Recipe was given to me by my good friend who is an expert cook....  Original can be found here