Buttered Rum Christmas Cake
This boozy, unctuous cake is suffused with rum and plump fruit. You can use golden or spiced rum instead of dark rum, if that’s what you have in the cupboard.
Hands-on time 25min, plus overnight soaking, cooling and (optional) maturing. Cooking time about 3hr. Serves 20
FOR THE SOAKED FRUIT
● 300g sultanas
● 300g raisins
● 100g dried cranberries
● 150g dried figs, chopped
● 100g chopped mixed peel
Finely grated zest and juice
● 1 large orange
● 200ml dark rum
● 50g unsalted butter, chopped 50ml maple syrup
FOR THE CAKE
● 200g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
● 200g light muscovado sugar
● 3 medium eggs, beaten
● 125g plain flour
● 1tbsp mixed spice
● 1tsp each ground allspice and cinnamon
● 1tsp freshly grated nutmeg
● 75g pecans, roughly chopped
1 For the soaked fruit, in a large non-metallic bowl, mix the dried fruit and mixed peel. In a small pan, gently heat the orange zest and juice and rum until warm. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, to melt, and maple syrup. Pour over the fruit, stir, cover and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.
2 Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Grease and line a 20.5cm round, 9cm deep cake tin with baking parchment. Next, wrap a double layer of baking parchment around the outside of the tin, securing it with string – this will help prevent the sides of the cake from over-browning.
3 For the cake, using a freestanding mixer or a handheld electric whisk and large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 5min.
4 Add eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in flour and spices and beat briefly to combine. Add soaked fruit mixture and pecans and stir with a large metal spoon to combine.
5 Scrape into prepared tin and level. Bake for 2½-3hr, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10min, then transfer to a wire rack (keeping it in its baking parchment) and cool completely.
6 If storing, wrap cooled cake (still in its parchment) in several layers of clingfilm, followed by a layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months.
PER SERVING 356cals, 3g protein, 14g fat (7g saturates), 48g carbs (41g total sugars), 3g fibre
TO STORE AND FEED After 2 weeks, unwrap the cake, prick the top all over with a skewer and pour over 1tbsp rum. Rewrap and store as before. Feed the cake like this every 2 weeks, if you like, rewrapping carefully after each addition.
Look out for our robin cake decoration in the December issue’