I decided to make two types of Christmas cake this year.
This is for 2 reasons. The first being for different tastes, but the second was to see which cake is better!
I followed a traditional fruit recipe for the sherry cakes but only used mixed fruit and cranberries in the whisky cake. I found that using the mixed fruit is just as good as adding the individual fruit but it is also more cost effective and saved a lot of money!
My hubby does not like cherries so that is why I changed the cherries to cranberries. But I also find that cranberries are more flavoursome than cherries.
This is what I got...
Whisky Christmas Cake
1.2kg mixed fruit with candied peel
200g dried cranberries
200ml whisky
Zest of 1 orange
250g butter, softened
250g light muscovado sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1 tbsp black treacle
85g flaked almonds
75g self raising flour
175g plain flour
2 tspn mixed spice
Method
1 - Place the mixed fruit and cranberries in a container and pour over the whisky. Cover and leave for 1 week remembering to stir daily!
Pre heat the oven to 120C
2 - Place the butter, eggs, sugar, treacle into a bowl and mix well
3 - Add in the flaked almonds and continue to mix
4 - Sift in the flours, add the mixed spice and continue to mix until all of the ingredients are evenly combined
5 - Stir in the soaked fruit and any juices
6 - Put the cake mixture into a deep cake tin which has been double lined with greaseproof paper and place in the pre heated oven.
7 - Bake the cake for about 4 1/2 hours. Check after 2 hours, if the top is browned cover if foil and continue to bake until baked throughout
8 - When your cake is done remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin
9 - Once cool remove from the tin and double wrap in greaseproof paper and foil, the greaseproof paper will ensure that the cake keeps it moisture
Up until you are ready to ice your cake feed at regular intervals with extra whisky. The cake will keep wrapped and in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Do not be tempted to eat the cake too soon as it will be crumbly if it is not mature!
I decorated our family cake with 5 little snowmen, one for each of us!
I also made a whisky cake to go in my parents hamper for my dad. As he does not like icing and marzipan I covered the top of the cake with an apricot glaze and decorated it with whole almonds.
However you decorate your cake you will have a lovely, moist, boozy fruit cake!
Enjoy x
The Christmas Great Bloggers Bake Off is hosted by the lovely Jenny at Mummy Mishaps and the lovely Helen at The Crazy Kitchen
which one did you prefer the shery fuelled cake or the whiskey one?
ReplyDeletei love the decoration you did too. i like the flavour of cranberries in a fruit cake too
thank you for linking up x x
I think I prefered he fruit in the sherry one bu would add cranberries next time. But the whisky one had a lovely alcoholic flavour :-) xx
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