The Cake
Weighing the ingredients for the Christmas Cake became an even bigger treat yesterday as a juvenile blackcap, probably from Scandinavia, decided to breakfast on the small trees below the kitchen window.
I adapted the recipe from a cookery book dating back to 1928.
Ingredients
9ozs plain flour
6ozs brown sugar
one half teaspoonful baking powder
3 eggs
6ozs butter
one and a half pounds of dried fruit ( include a few nuts if liked )
one quarter of a pint of milk
your favourite blend and quantity of spices
Method
Soak the fruit in sherry or spirits - according to taste
Cream together the butter and sugar
Beat in the eggs one at a time
Lightly stir in the flour, spice, milk and the fruit which has been drained ( keep the alcohol )
Put into a cake tin which has been buttered and lined
Bake for 2 hours in a moderate oven
Test with a cake tester or fine knitting needle - if it comes out clean your cake is baked
When the cake has been allowed to cool but is still in its tin, prick the top all over with a fork
Slowly pour the reserved alcohol onto the cake
Loosely cover - a tea towel is fine - and leave overnight
In the morning carefully remove the cake from the tin and tear away the lining papers
Wrap in "Clingfilm" and keep in a tin until you are ready to cover the cake with almond paste/marzipan
Our cake is now tucked away and maturing in the kitchen. I am wondering if one will be enough as I have often made two. I used to make one for Granny too until she told me that she didn't really like Christmas cake! One year I made lots of cakes to sell. Even though they were all simply rough-iced (snow) with royal icing, I found the icing was the most tedious part. I am no great decorator!
