- By Charlie Browning
- Published 12/4/2012
It’s coming up to Christmas (again!) and everyone seems to be trying their hand at some sort of baking and, especially in my case, with varying degrees of success! For some reason, probably because my mum made such spectacular ones when I was growing up, I’ve fancied making a delicious, rich Christmas cake for a while now. I was a bit skeptical at first because I‘ve always been a bit of a disaster in the kitchen, but I learned quite quickly that Christmas baking needn’t be a chore – you just need the right Christmas cake recipe and stick to it.
To this end, I took to the internet and started frantically looking around for recipes that give me the best chance of making a Christmas cake to make my mum proud – and I think I found it. Australian super baker Sandra Woolford is well renowned Down Under for cracking Christmas cakes, and this one seems to have done the job for me. Hope it hopes you too!
Prepare a 20 cm cake tin by lining with two layers each of brown paper and baking paper.
Mix together all the fruit and nuts and sprinkle with the sherry or brandy. Cover and leave for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 140º C (120 º fan-forced).
Measure the flour and spices into a large bowl. Add the fruit and mix thoroughly.
Cream together the butter and sugar with the essence.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add this liquid mix to the flour/fruit. Mix thoroughly until no trace of flour can be seen.
Place the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
Bake in a slow (130-140°) oven (20º less for fan-forced) for approximately 3 ½ – 4 hours or until cooked.
Check at 3 hours. Allow the cake to cool in the tin.
To keep until Christmas, sprinkle with a little brandy each week.
About the Author : Charlie Browning is writing about Cake recipes
