Christmas Cake
Traditional British Christmas cakes are fruit cakes that are covered in an almond layer and finished with icing. This recipe is an adaptation of a fruit cake recipe. Although this cake will take days to finish it is well worth the effort. You can decide between Royal Icing and Fondant Icing for your preferred finish.
Ingredients
- Vegan Margarine - 10 ozs (1 ½ Cups)
- Caster Sugar - 3 ozs (½ Cup)
- Soft Light Brown Sugar - 3 ozs (½ Cup)
- Self Raising Flour - 12 ozs (2 ½ Cups)
- Mixed Dried Fruit - 11 ozs (2 Cups)
- Egg Replacement - 2
- Ground Nuts - 3 ozs (½ Cup)
- Lemon Juice - 1 Tsp
- Glacé Cherries - 3 ozs (¼ Cup), Finely Chopped
- Mixed Spice - 1 Tsp
- Ground Nutmeg - 1 Tsp
- Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp
- Baking Powder - 2 Tsp
- Vanilla Essence - 2 Tsp
- Mixed Peel - 1 oz (30g)
- Sherry - 2 Tbsp
- Brandy - 2 Tbsp
- Apricot Jam - 3 Tbsp, For Covering
- Water - 3 Tbsp, For Covering
- Icing Sugar - Sifted, For Rolling Covering Out On
- Ground Almonds - 6 ozs (1 ½ Cups), For Almond Layer
- Icing Sugar - 6 ozs (¾ Cup), Sifted, For Almond Layer
- Caster Sugar - 6 ozs (¾ Cup), For Almond Layer
- Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp, For Almond Layer
- Vanilla Essence - 1 Tsp, For Almond Layer
- Icing Sugar - 24 ozs (6 Cups), For Royal Icing
- Egg Replacement - 2, For Royal Icing
- Water - 2 Tbsp, For Royal Icing
- Icing Sugar - 16 ozs (4 Cups), For Fondant Icing
- Egg Replacement - 1, For Fondant Icing
- Olive Oil - 1 Tsp, For Fondant Icing
Instructions
- Into a bowl put the mixed dried fruit, mixed peel and cherries, add the sherry and leave to soak for at least three hours.
- Preheat oven to 140c, grease an 8 inch cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.
- Sift flour and mix ground nutmeg, mixed spice and baking powder into a bowl.
- Into another bowl, cream the margarine and sugars together, add egg replacer, lemon juice and olive oil then whisk well together.
- Gradually fold in flour mixture.
- Stir in the ground nuts and add the bowl of mixed fruit, mix well together.
- Pour into the lined cake tin and flatten the top.
- Cook for two hours at 140c, then turn up to 160c for a further 30 minutes.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack and then remove from tin.
- Prick the cake all over with a skewer and pour the brandy over it.
- When you are ready to cover the cake, make the almond layer by placing almonds, caster sugar and icing sugar into a bowl, and add lemon juice and vanilla essence.
- Gradually mix in the egg replacer to form a sift looking dough, knead gently.
- Into a saucepan place sieved apricot jam and water, heat gently until melted.
- Turn the cake upside down (as the bottom is flatter) and cover all over with the jam mixture.
- On a sifted icing sugar surface roll out almond dough and cut into a circle larger than the top of the cake, brush the jam mixture on top of the circle and place on cake.
- Cut out a strip the size of the cake’s edge and brush with the jam mixture and wrap around the cake.
- Press the edges of the strip and the circle together to form a neat joining. Leave in fridge overnight.
- If you are making your own Fondant Icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add enough egg replacer and olive oil to form a dough. Place onto a sifted icing sugar surface and roll out to a size large enough to cover the cake top and sides. Pick up and place over the cake letting the edges fall down the sides, gently press down.
- Cut away any extra icing and leave the cake in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
- For Royal Icing, place the sifted icing sugar into a bowl and mix in egg replacer, gradually add water to form a thick mixture.
- Decorate the cake with the icing sugar and leave in the fridge to set overnight.
TIP: A cake tin with a detachable bottom is best.
TIP: This cake can be made 4 – 12 weeks before it is needed and kept in an airtight container. If you do this, sprinkle a little brandy over the top now and again.
TIP: Covering the cake with the jam mixture is best done using a pastry brush.
TIP: Depending on what type of finished look you are after, either use fondant icing for a smooth effect or royal icing for a more modern creative look, which ever one you decide on finish the cake off with some festive decorations.
TIP: Any extra icing can be cut out to make decorations for the top of the cake.
