Grammar Fair Christmas Cakes
This recipe is sufficient for 3 round 13cm cake tins or 1 large round or square tin.
Ingredients:
125g currants
375g raisings
250g sultanas
125g chopped dried apricots
125g glace pineapple chopped
125g dates chopped
125g pitted prunes chopped
90g glace cherries chopped
90g mixed peel
½ cup over proof rum or whiskey
250g butter
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup brown sugar
5 medium eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 level teaspoon bicarb soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground almonds
1 teaspoon glycerine (from chemist)
1 teaspoon Parisienne essence
90g blanched almonds chopped
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier/orange juice or whiskey
6 extra blanched almonds to decorate
Method:
Butter cake tins(tin) and line bottom of each with 2 layers of brown paper and then a layer of gladbake.
Line sides with a strip of gladbake which extends about 5 cms above the top.
The day before place all fruit in a bowl and mix in rum or whiskey, cover and stand overnight.
In another bowl, cream the butter with both sugars until light and fluffy.
Beat the eggs, mix through the creamed butter a little at a time. This can be done in a food processor.
Add sifted flour, bicarb soda, spices and ground almonds and fold through evenly.
Stir in glycerine and Parisienne essence and all fruits.
Fold in chopped nuts.
Pour the mixture into the 3 prepared tins and decorate with an inner circle of whole almonds.
Bake in a slow oven (150oC) for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Test with a skewer to see if cooked. Do not overcook as it will dry out.
Brush with Grand Marnier and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Turn out and wrap each cake in a clean tea towel and cover with several thicknesses of newspaper and leave to cool slowly.
When cold, remove all the paper, wrap in foil and place in a plastic bag.
