Christmas Cake
250g butter at room temperature
250g dark brown sugar
250g plain flour
50g ground almonds
4 eggs
500g sultanas
500g raisins
200g dried mixed fruit
50g chopped glace cherries
250ml Stout ( optional)
Zest 1 orange
½ teaspoon mixed spice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Brandy or whiskey for “feeding”
Set oven to 120°c.
Grease and line the bottom of 2 x 8 inch cake tins or 1 x 12 inch tin with parchment paper.
Soak the fruit in stout overnight if you wish and drain off excess before adding fruit to the cake.
Beat the sugar, butter and orange zest until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour, spices and ground almonds.
Fold in the fruit and mix well.
Place into the tins. Bake for up to 2 hours or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. If you divide the mixture into the 2 tins it will take about an hour and a half.
Store in an airtight tin and brush with brandy on a regular basis before Christmas.
