world famous xmas cake recipe

As promised!

Grannyg’s world famous xmas cake

Stage 1

Mix the following altogether in a large, lidded container

3kg dried fruit       -          combination to your taste – with at least half being a mixture of sultanas/raisins/currants, the balance comprised of any dried fruit you enjoy, chopped into small or medium pieces.  (make sure that only maximum of ¼ is of soft gooey fruit, i.e prunes or figs)

400gm brown sugar

4 citrus fruits          -     zest and juiced (zest = grating off skin)

Spices                         -     approximately 2 tablespoons your choice of “sweet” spices, cinnamon, allspice, mixed spice.  Smaller quantities of nutmeg, cardamom, ginger if desired. Quantity can be more or less according to your taste.  You can add spice last and taste as you go for desired flavour.

700ml booze             -      Rum, Brandy or Whiskey – cheap stuff is good!  You can blend with Cointreau, Drambuie etc, but beware of creamy liqueurs that may go off.

Let soak for at least one week, preferably one month.  Can be soaked for years!

Stage 2

Preheat oven to 110oC

Prepare tins – grease and line metal tins with baking paper.  Or use paper case cake tins available from kitchen shops

Set aside any fruit mixture you wish to keep for other uses.

For every 1kg of mixture use the following batter;

100gm     butter melted

2              eggs whisked

¾ cup      flour sifted

Mix butter and eggs through fruit, ensuring fruit has no clumps and is all separated.  Add flour and mix through.

Amount of flour will depend on how liquid the fruit mix is.  You may need to add more flour or you may need to add another egg or some booze to ensure fruit is coated with batter.

You want a batter that is as thick as a normal cake batter but only just coats the fruit.

Spoon into tins, ensuring all corners are well filled and no gaps remain.  Smooth the top with back of spoon.  Decorate now with glace fruit and nuts if desired or else leave plain.

Bake for approximately 4-5 hours until cake is firm and looks cooked.  Once out of oven douse it with “feeding” alcohol.  Choose a spirit that you like for “feeding” the cake, you will need to sprinkle the cake with this once a week up until 1 or 2 weeks prior to eating time.  You probably need no more than 4 “feeds”  – I have a cake that is a year old and is still good, it was fed 4 times.

It is preferable to store the cakes in a closed but not entirely airtight tin – like proper “tins”.  But if you only have airtight tins, allow the cake to have a little open lid time a few days prior to eating.  Wrapped in a tea towel etc.  If cake is too moist for xmas day, a day in the fridge will dry it out just fine.

There you have it!  Listen to episodes 8 and 9 for more tips and tricks.

Use, distribute (but please attribute) change it around, make it yours and have fun!

xmas cake kisses from your hairy old grannyg!

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