Organic Christmas cakes
20-Dec-2011 By Simon
If there’s one thing I like to do in November it’s to make the old faithful Christmas cake. It’s my way of bringing that festive feeling forward.
For years I used a recipe in Delia Smith’s Bible of Cooking but in moving with the times Delia announced on her website last year her new Organic Christmas Cake. I thought I’d give it a try and as always she didn’t let me down.
If you’re thinking of making that Christmas Cake this year then give this one a try – it’s fairly simple and it will go down a treat over the festive break. I’d advise that you plan ahead with the recipe and give yourself time to make it. It takes time, but that’s half the fun and it’s worth the effort.
Ingredients
12 oz (350 g) organic currants
6 oz (175 g) organic sultanas
6 oz (175 g) organic raisins 4.5 oz (125 g) organic dried apricots
7 tablespoons brandy or whisky, plus a little extra if needed
9 oz (250 g) organic plain flour
1 rounded teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/4 rounded teaspoon ground cloves
5 medium organic eggs
9 oz (250 g) slightly salted butter, at room temperature
9 oz (250 g) organic unrefined cane sugar
2 oz (50 g) organic whole almonds, skinned and roughly chopped
grated zest 1 organic orange
grated zest 1 organic unwaxed lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
Three days before you intend to make the cake, measure out the currants, sultanas, raisins and apricots. Using kitchen scissors, snip the apricots into pieces the same size as the raisins. Pour over the brandy or whisky, mix well and spoon into a large storage jar. Give it a good shake each day. Add a little extra brandy or whisky after a day or two if the fruit seems too dry.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300F, 150C. To make the cake sift the flour with the mixed spice, ground cloves and salt. Beat the eggs lightly. Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well between each addition. Add a dessertspoon of the flour mixture when you add the last of the eggs to help prevent the mixture from curdling (if it does, don't worry).
Mix in half of the remaining flour mixture together with half the soaked fruit and all the almonds, then repeat with the rest of the flour, the remaining fruit and the grated orange and lemon zest. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, making sure the mixture is evenly distributed, then smooth the top, hollowing it slightly in the middle to ensure you get a flat-topped cake. Cover the top of the tin with baking parchment, place on a low shelf in the oven and bake for 4-41/2 hours.
After 4 hours, check whether the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into it. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready, otherwise turn down the heat to gas mark 1, 275F, 140C and return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Leave in the tin to cool for an hour, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. At this point you can store it for up to 2 months in a cool, dark place, wrapped in a double layer of baking parchment followed by a layer of kitchen foil. You can decorate the cake up to 2-3 days before you intend to serve it. To make the topping, heat the apricot jam and sieve it into a bowl. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water (this is to keep the jam liquid) while you brush the cake thickly with the jam.
Then arrange the dried fruits and nuts in circles on top of the cake. Brush again with the jam until the top of the cake is glistening, then store in a lidded, airtight container until ready to serve. Tie a large ribbon round the cake before serving.
Courtesy of www.deliaonline.com
For years I used a recipe in Delia Smith’s Bible of Cooking but in moving with the times Delia announced on her website last year her new Organic Christmas Cake. I thought I’d give it a try and as always she didn’t let me down.
If you’re thinking of making that Christmas Cake this year then give this one a try – it’s fairly simple and it will go down a treat over the festive break. I’d advise that you plan ahead with the recipe and give yourself time to make it. It takes time, but that’s half the fun and it’s worth the effort.
Ingredients
12 oz (350 g) organic currants
6 oz (175 g) organic sultanas
6 oz (175 g) organic raisins 4.5 oz (125 g) organic dried apricots
7 tablespoons brandy or whisky, plus a little extra if needed
9 oz (250 g) organic plain flour
1 rounded teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/4 rounded teaspoon ground cloves
5 medium organic eggs
9 oz (250 g) slightly salted butter, at room temperature
9 oz (250 g) organic unrefined cane sugar
2 oz (50 g) organic whole almonds, skinned and roughly chopped
grated zest 1 organic orange
grated zest 1 organic unwaxed lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
Three days before you intend to make the cake, measure out the currants, sultanas, raisins and apricots. Using kitchen scissors, snip the apricots into pieces the same size as the raisins. Pour over the brandy or whisky, mix well and spoon into a large storage jar. Give it a good shake each day. Add a little extra brandy or whisky after a day or two if the fruit seems too dry.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300F, 150C. To make the cake sift the flour with the mixed spice, ground cloves and salt. Beat the eggs lightly. Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well between each addition. Add a dessertspoon of the flour mixture when you add the last of the eggs to help prevent the mixture from curdling (if it does, don't worry).
Mix in half of the remaining flour mixture together with half the soaked fruit and all the almonds, then repeat with the rest of the flour, the remaining fruit and the grated orange and lemon zest. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, making sure the mixture is evenly distributed, then smooth the top, hollowing it slightly in the middle to ensure you get a flat-topped cake. Cover the top of the tin with baking parchment, place on a low shelf in the oven and bake for 4-41/2 hours.
After 4 hours, check whether the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into it. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready, otherwise turn down the heat to gas mark 1, 275F, 140C and return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Leave in the tin to cool for an hour, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. At this point you can store it for up to 2 months in a cool, dark place, wrapped in a double layer of baking parchment followed by a layer of kitchen foil. You can decorate the cake up to 2-3 days before you intend to serve it. To make the topping, heat the apricot jam and sieve it into a bowl. Place the bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water (this is to keep the jam liquid) while you brush the cake thickly with the jam.
Then arrange the dried fruits and nuts in circles on top of the cake. Brush again with the jam until the top of the cake is glistening, then store in a lidded, airtight container until ready to serve. Tie a large ribbon round the cake before serving.
Courtesy of www.deliaonline.com
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