Make-ahead Fat-Free Christmas Cake, Boozy Indulgence for the Christmas table or as gifts or for charity raffles
first published 10/11/15 as Christmas Presentation Cakes
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| This cake went for £50 at a raffle in 2015 A spectacular chunky Fruit Cake, adapted from Delia, for the Festive Season |
This spectacular Christmas Cake is so easy older kids - under supervision - could make and decorate it themselves. It's perfect for the Christmas table but also for edible gifts for special people.
The kids would be probably be delighted to make 3 or 4 cakes as gifts, honing their baking skills and exploring their creativity with lovely designs and decorations. This would free up the resident chief cook/bottle washer to get on with other Christmas tasks.
The recipe, adapted from Delia Smith, is fat-free, low in preservatives and with a minimum of sugar. It's absolutely stuffed with heart-friendly nuts. 67 modified it further for palates accustomed to 'cleaner', healthier eating.
It is not frugal in any sense of the word but it is for a special occasion.
67's recipe blanches the chunky pieces of dried fruit in boiling water to wash away preservatives and ensure moisture. Raisins make up only a small amount of the total and makes the cake particularly appealing to men who say they don't like fuitcake.
The cake contains a fair amount of alcohol but white or red grape juice can be substituted. The striking candied fruit garnish (opt) came from Fortnum & Mason (the upmarket food emporium with fabulous Christmas window dressings, on Piccadilly opposite the Royal Academy )
Cake prep covers a couple of days; some planning is necessary. There are a few steps but all of them are easy.
Decoration is simple; there's no messing around with layers of icing but clever placing of fruit and nuts plus satin ribbon in seasonal colours make a vivid impression.
The finished product should rest for a few weeks and be consumed within a month of baking. But cakes made in the last few days before Christmas garner no complaints.
8 oz/225 g whole brazil nuts (or 100g brazils and the rest hazlenuts and almonds)
3 oz/75 g candied fruit or, for the frugal, peel
3-4 tbsp brandy, whiskey or grape juice
Tip: 67 likes to keep most of the nuts whole for chunkiness; others prefer to roughly chop them but keep back some whole for garnish.
deliaonline.com
Comments:
This recipe method and decorating techniques have been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises. It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission
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| Square-shaped Presentation Cake |
Cost: £10'ish
Serves: 8-10
Ingred:
8 oz/225 g whole brazil nuts (or 100g brazils and the rest hazlenuts and almonds)
5 oz/150 g halved pecan nuts
3 oz/75 g candied fruit or, for the frugal, peel
4 oz/110 g stoned dates
4 oz/110 g dried apricots
6 oz/175 g glace cherries
1.5 oz/42 g raisins
1.5 oz/42 g seedless prunes
grated rind of 1 lemon & 1 orange
grated rind of 1 lemon & 1 orange
3-4 tbsp brandy, whiskey or grape juice
3 oz/75 g plain flour (or 2/3 white + 1/3 wholemeal)
(67 used spelt flours)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
min 4-max 5 oz/min 120-max 150gm soft brown sugar
3 med eggs beaten
1 tsp good vanilla extract
Garnish: speciality glace fruit (opt)
- Grease & line an 8 in/20 cm deep circular cake pan (or 8 inch/20cm square, or loaf pan 8.5x4.5 inch/21.5 x 11.5 cm with 2.5 pints/1.5 L capacity)
- Halve dates, prunes and apricots
- Place with other dried fruit in a heatproof bowl
- Pour boiling water over; leave 3-5 minutes; drain (this removes some of the preservatives & plumps up the fruit )
- Place in a large mixing bowl with nuts; add grated rinds, and 1-2 tbsp brandy; stir, cover tightly with clingfilm and leave 3-4 hours, pref overnight.
- When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 300 f, 150c, 130 fan, gas 2
- Sift or mix flour, baking powder and spices in a med bowl
- Stir in sugar, breaking up any small lumps; add beaten eggs and vanilla
- Mix with handheld electric whisk, or vigorously with a wooden spoon, until batter is smooth but not overbeaten
- Drain nut & fruit mix, saving juices.
- Tip nuts and fruits into batter; stir till all bits are coated. Transfer to the tin; use spatula or back of spoon to level
- Rest a sheet of greaseproof paper on top; bake ABOUT 2 hours. Check after 1 1/2 hours. The cake is done when the centre is springy to the touch.
- Cool in the tin.
- Mix any juices (from 10) with the rest of the brandy. Stab the top of the cake with a cocktail stick and spoon half of the remaining brandy mix over the top. Rest 1 hour.
- Gently turn the cake over over and repeat.
- If not using straight away, wrap in double cling film and foil for up to 3 weeks. When ready to decorate you can add another couple of tablespoons of brandy (opt)
- If you wish to decorate the cake with nuts and fruits, first heat some apricot jam until it is runny, brush over the cake, arrange decoration and brush again (avoid re-brushing specially bought candied fruit)
- For presentation: wrap in a layer of cling film and then with acetone paper; tie with ribbon.
- The cake should be consumed within a month of baking day.
Tip: 67 likes to keep most of the nuts whole for chunkiness; others prefer to roughly chop them but keep back some whole for garnish.
deliaonline.com
Comments:
'I shared your cake over the weekend during a friend's housewarming and it went down a treat!" IAG Employment Outreach Officer
'The bidding for your cake was brisk!' Organiser, charity raffle
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Tips for preparing cake as a gift:
For gifts, you will need:
All available from haberdashery departments in major department stores incl. John Lewis, and specialist art shops like Green & Stone in Chelsea, London: mail@greenandstone.com
- Double Satin Ribbon in green or red, 2-2.5 inch/5-7 cm wide; 25 mm rolls or by metre
- Clear acetone film (stronger than cling but transparent and malleable)
- Crepe paper
- Cake boards (or make your own)
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