Mums Christmas Cake

I have never been much of a baker.  I'm not a bad cook, so say my kids, but baking is not something I do often.  So, for years I have always purchased my Christmas Cake.  This holiday season, we decided to start eating our Christmas cake around Thanksgiving,  Before long we had finished it!  I was tempted to buy another, but upon polling my family on Facebook, I was inspired to make my own.  My aunt sent me my mothers recipe, that she had saved for many years.  I thought it was a lovely idea to make Mum's cake, I have fond memories of Christmases as a kid and my lovely mum was a wonderful cook!

so, Here's the recipe:
8oz Currants
8oz  Sultanas
8oz  Raisins (chopped)
4oz mixed peel
4oz glace cherries halved
2oz chopped almonds
8oz plain flour
pinch salt
1/2 level teaspoon ground mace
1/2 level teaspoon cinnamon
8oz Butter
8oz soft brown sugar
grated rind of one lemon
4 large eggs (size 1)  ( mix these separately in jug or bowl -Trisha's suggestion)
2 Tablespoons Brandy


Use 8oz Cake Tin lined with double grease-proof paper
Tie a band of brown parcel paper round the outside of the tin with string

Mix all fruit together
Sift flour salt & spices
Cream Butter, sugar & lemon rind until pale and fluffy
Add eggs a little at  a time beating well after each addition
(if mix looks like it may curdle - just add a spoon of flour and continue)
Fold in half the flour mix.  Then other half plus Brandy.  Last Fold in fruit. 
Spread in tin making sure no air pockets and make a dip in the center ( this is to ensure a flat cake for icing)

Stand tin on a layer of newspaper in the oven - bake at 150C or 300F for 3+3/4 hours
To stop top over browning cover with double grease-proof after 1 & 1/2 hours

When the cake is cooked, leave in the tin until cold -then turn out
After a few days you can start "feeding"  with brandy - use a skewer or kebab spike -prick all over the base going quite deep and then drizzle brandy all over -turn back upright and repeat this as often as time permits -I used to make the cake end October and then feed it all through November and December - it will be quite boozy, but delicious !! 

Good luck!

I made a few adjustments - I soaked the fruit overnight in a generous amount of brandy, as I was making the cake only three weeks before Christmas and wouldn't have time to "feed" it.  Also, for safety reasons I didn't place the cake on the newspaper or wrap the tin in parcel paper, and I forgot to add the nuts!  As the recipe didn't mention when to put them in, I expect with the fruit.  Maybe next year I will remember!

Also as I was using a convection oven the cooking time was much less.  It was about 2 - 2 1/2 hours.  I started checking on it after 1 1/2 hours then after 1/2 and hour then every ten minutes until the
kebab stick came our of the cake clean.

Ready for the oven.

Cooling

The bottom, looks fruity!

Next, it was time to cover it with marzipan.  I mixed  one tablespoon of marmalade with two tablespoons of water and heated it to boiling.  I used this mixture to coat the cake To get the marzipan to stick.  I then left the cake for a couple of days.

Rather than using royal icing I decided to use fondant icing, with I found ready made in Michales Crafting Store, they also had ready made decorated icing ribbon to wrap around the cake, for a great finish.

                                    Delicious!