Christmas Cake 2014

I have finally baked this year's Christmas cake and here is a recording of what I have used and done.

Christmas cake 2014

        8 ozs raisins – halved

        8 ozs sultanas – halved

        6 ozs cherries – quartered

        6 ozs mixed peel

        8 ozs dried apricots in lieu of glazed pumpkin – diced

        4 oz stem ginger in syrup – but without syrup – julienned

        4 oz [½ jar] ChowChow in syrup – plus syrup – 蜜什菓 – mélange au sirop – sliced, julienned or diced according to type of fruit / vegetable

        8 ozs soft figs in lieu of dates – diced

        4 fl oz of vodka – cranberry flavoured vodka – for soaking the fruits 

        2 oz [50 g] homemade orange peel – julienned

        4 oz diced cashew nuts – used 130 grams

        8 ozs softened butter

        8 oz caster sugar

        2 oz dark brown sugar

        8 oz semolina [added 250 grams] dried fried until light brown and allowed to cool + 2 heap tbsp flour [no raising agent] – then sifted

        12 large egg yolks

        1 cup or 6 large egg whites – whisked + ¼ tsp cream of tartar + + 4 tbsp sugar for egg whites

        2 tbsp Golden Syrup

        2 tbsp honey

        1 tsp vanilla extract

        1 tsp vanilla paste

        ½ tsp orange oil

        ½ tsp lemon oil

        1 heaped tsp mixed spice

        ½ nutmeg – ground

        7 oz [½ jar]  apricot jam or orange marmalade or strawberry jam or any jam 

        150 ml or 10 tbsp vodka to inject into the cake after baking and also just before wrapping

1.      Prepare fruits and soak fruits in 4 fl oz of vodka for about a week.

2.      Dry fry the semolina and set aside to cool.

3.      Mix the butter and sugar with a pedal attachment lightly and add the egg yolks one at a time.  Then add the jam and flavourings.

4.      Mix the spices, homemade peel with the semolina and flour. Mix the fruits into this mixture.

5.      Whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar and then add the sugar [4 tbsp] until soft peaks.

6.      Fold the whisked egg whites into the butter egg yolk mixture.

7.      Then fold (6) into the semolina fruit mixture (4).

8.      Pour the cake mixture into a prepared baking tin [9 inch square tin] and bake as per (9), and protecting the outside of the tin with cardboard.

9.      Place the cake on a pizza stone, on the bottom shelf in a preheated oven – of 140 C – with fan switched off.

10.  Total baking time 5¾ hours – first 3½ hours at 140 C, and the rest at 130 C  

11.  Covered the top of the cake with aluminium foil after 3½ hours or when the top of the cake begins to brown.  

12.  Allow the cake to cool in the baking tin and when the cake has cooled, after several hours, remove the cake from the baking tin and inject 150 ml or 10 tbsp of vodka into the cake.

13.  Wrap the cake well with parchment paper and return it to the baking tin and store it in an airtight container for a month. 

When the cake matures, then the cake is reformed into 2 by 1 inch sizes and package accordingly.  The 2 by 1 inch cake pieces are wrapped with parchment paper, then with tissue paper and then placed inside food grade cellophane bags.