Christmas Cake

Yep, I’m one of those people that makes a Christmas cake every year. It’s not one of my favourite cakes, but I love the thought that Christmas is well on it’s way once the cake has been made.

My recipe is a mixture of a Sunday tea loaf, not too rich. The cooked marzipan middle layer taken from the Easter Simnel cake and lots of pecans, a pinch of America. It’s low faff and shortcuts have been taken.

Deepwell Christmas Cake

500g mixed fruit

100g glace cherries

2 cups of Earl Grey tea

2 tablespoons of marmalade save 1/2 for glazing when cold

300g butter

300g brown sugar

1 tablespoon of treacle

5 free range eggs

500g self raising flour

2 teaspoons of mixed spice

A pinch of salt

1 packet of marzipan

300g pecans

  1. Place the dried fruit, cherries and tea into a large bowl. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to soak overnight.
  2. The next day, preheat the oven to 175C/325F/Gas 3.
  3. Mix the sugar and butter, add the treacle and fold in the beaten egg, flour, mixed spice and salt.
  4. Next add the soaked fruit, pecans except save 15 for decorating later and mix well.
  5. Grease a 25cm round tin. Spoon half of the mixture into the tin.
  6. Roll out the marzipan to the size of the tin and place on top of the mixture.
  7. Spoon the remaining mixture on top of the marzipan.
  8. Arrange the 15 pecans on the top.
  9. Transfer to the oven and bake for two and a half hours, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  10. When the cake is cold, glaze with the warmed marmalade.
  11. If you do like to give your cake a drink (I use two glugs of Southern Comfort, turn the cake over, skewer the base a few times and pour all over ) you might want to leave out the top glaze or leave this for later.

I hope you enjoy