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| Spiced Christmas Cake |
This recipe, passed down to my aunt from my paternal grandmother, has been a family favorite for years. I would always politely turn down Christmas Cake until I tried this one. Sweetened with condensed milk and delicately spiced with curry powder, this moist, rich cake will continue to please well after Christmas — if there is any left
Spiced Christmas Cake ingredients: 397 gram tin sweetened condensed milk. 125 grams butter. 2 tablespoons golden syrup. 4 eggs. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. 1 teaspoon lemon essence. 1 teaspoon baking soda. 1/4 cup milk, warmed. 2 cups plain flour. pinch of salt. 1 teaspoon curry powder. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg. 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice. 1/8 teaspoon each ground mace and cloves. 2 cups currants. 2 cups raisins. 2 cups sultanas. 2 cups dried cranberries. 1 cup pitted dates, chopped. 1 cup walnut pieces, roasted. 425g tin sliced pineapple, drained and diced. To finish: 1 cup brandy, plus extra for weekly dousing. 22 cm x 9 cm deep, square cake tin, lined with a double thickness of brown paper
Spiced Christmas Cake recipe: Preheat the oven to 120C. Put the condensed milk, butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until the butter is melted and ingredients are combined. Pour into a large bowl and cool. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla and lemon essence. Combine the baking soda and milk in a small bowl then add to the egg mixture. Sift the flour, salt, and spices together in a large bowl and add the fruit, walnuts and pineapple, tossing so they are well coated in the flour Using a large metal spoon fold into the wet ingredients in three batches, ensuring there are no pockets of flour in the batter. Spoon the batter into the tin. Bake for 3 - 3 and 1/2 hours. A skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. While the cake is still hot, using a thin skewer, gently poke holes over the entire cake then pour over the brandy. Keep the cake wrapped in muslin in an airtight container. If you wish to decorate the cake, top with a layer of marzipan and decorate with dried nuts and fruits. We used roasted walnut halves, dried cranberries and slivers of dried dates. By then, the spiced Christmas cake is ready
