CHRISTMAS CAKE A FESTIVE FAVOURITE


Recipe courtesy of Westbrook Cookers who specialise in adapting your own AGA to run on controllable 13amp electricity using Electrikit - decreasing running costs to as little as £8 per week. They also sell renovated Aga Cookers running on the same system .


Visit www.westbrookcookers.com or telephone 01544 350382 or mobile 07791 312154


There is something really special about a homemade Christmas cake. Once you have made your own you will never go back to a shop bought one. You can make it as early as you like and baking and decorating it can become part of your family festive traditions.


INGREDIENTS


175g/ 6oz raisins 350g/ 12oz glace cherries, quartered 500g/ 1lb 2oz currants 350g/ 12oz sultanas 150ml/ ¼ pint of sherry and extra for feeding Grated zest of 1 orange Grated zest of 1 lemon 250g/ 9oz butter (softened on the back of the Aga) 250g/ 9oz light muscovado sugar 4 free range eggs 1 tbsp black treacle 100g/ 4oz blanched almonds, chopped 100g/ 4oz self-raising flour 150g/ 5oz plain flour 2 level teaspoons of mixed spice


METHOD


Put all the dried fruit in a container with a lid and pour over the sherry. Stir in the zest of both the orange and lemon. Place the lid tight on top and remember to stir daily. Leave well alone for 3 days.


Line a 23cm spring form tin with Bake-o-glide.


(If not using an Aga then preheat your oven to 140C/120c fan/gas 1)


Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle and almonds into a large bowl and beat well. Add the flours and spice and mix until blended. Now stir in the mixed thoroughly soaked fruit. Then spoon into the cake tin and level the surface.


At this point I cover the tin in cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.


115


The next morning place cake in the simmering oven. Grid shelf on the floor and cake atop of that. Bake the cake for anywhere up to 12 hours but for at least 5 hours. Keep checking on it periodically throughout the day.


(If not using an AGA bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 4 - 4 ½ hours or until the cake is firm to touch and is a deep golden brown.) Check after a couple of hours and if cake is al- ready the perfect colour than cover with tin foil and pop it back in the oven for the remaining time.


Leave cake to cool in the tin. When cool, pierce the cake at in- tervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little more sherry. Wrap the cold cake in grease proof paper and again in foil and store in a cool place for a few weeks if you have time. The best bit is you need to keep feeding it every now and again with more sherry.


Now give it a nice long rest and remember to cover in almond paste and icing about 2 weeks prior to Christmas.


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WINING & DINING RECIPE S TO TRY AT HOME


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