Feeling festive? Bake this delish Christmas fruitcake
This weekend marks Stir Up Sunday, as kitchens across the country prep their Chrimbo cakes and puds. This recipe, from Bake Off runner-up Steph Blackwell’s great grandmother, is taken from The Great British Bake Off: The Big Book Of Amazing Cakes (Sphere, £20).
Great Grandma’s Christmas Fruitcake
Makes 23cm and 16cm round cakes. Serves: 60. Ingredients:
l 475g salted butter, softened l 475g dark muscovado sugar l 8 eggs, beaten
l 475g self-raising flour, sifted l 1½tsp mixed spice l ¼tsp nutmeg l A pinch of salt l 500g raisins l 500g currants
l 500g sultanas l 75g each of green and red glacé cherries, quartered l 125g candied peel, chopped l 50g angelica, chopped l Finely grated zest of 1½ unwaxed lemons l 2 tbsp brandy, plus extra for feeding the cake
Method 1 Heat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/300°f/gas 2. 2 Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the beater on medium speed for 5 minutes, until pale and creamy. With the mixer on a low speed, add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between each addition. 3 Place the flour, spices, salt, raisins, currants, sultanas, glacé cherries, candied peel, angelica and lemon zest into a very large mixing bowl and stir together. Add the 2tbsp of brandy, then add the creamed mixture to the fruit and stir well with a large metal spoon until evenly combined. 4 Divide proportionately between the two tins. Level the tops, then bake: the 23cm cake will take 31/ –4 hours, and the 15cm will take about 21/ hours – or until the cakes feel firm to the touch, are a rich, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into centres comes out clean. If they are colouring too much, cover them with foil for the remaining baking time. 5 Once the cakes are baked, leave them to cool completely in the tins, then remove them onto a plate or board, leaving the baking paper attached to the sides and bottom to keep them moist. Don’t worry if there’s a little dip in the top of each cake. 6 Use a skewer to pierce the cakes all over, taking care not to pierce all the way to the bottom. Spoon 2 tbsps of extra brandy into each cake, then cover the cakes with baking paper and wrap them in foil. Place them in a tin or box, to store. 7 Uncover the cakes once a week for the next 4 weeks, each time feeding with 1 tablespoon of brandy each.