Most amazing gift for your child...

Letter from Father Christmas

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Ingredients.
250 grms. currents
250 grms. sultanas
175 grms. raisins
100 grms. cherries
100 grms. mixed peel
250 grms. self -raising flour
250 grms. castor sugar
1 level teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 level teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
250 grms. butter
5 medium eggs
1 - 1 3/4 cherry containers of Rum or Brandy
Baking parchment

For best results and convenience prepare fruit and dry ingredients 48 hours before baking.
Weigh out currents, raisins, sultanas and place into plastic air tight container ( empty 2 litre ice-cream box) is ideal. Cut cherries into halves or quarters add to container along with mixed peel, stir all the fruit together so they are well mixed. Now using empty cherry container as a measure pour brandy or rum over the fruit. Put lid on container and shake gently. During the next 48 hours shake the container occassionaly. The fruit will during this time soak up the spirits.

Now weigh out flour,add to this the nutmeg, mixd spice,cinnamon and pinch of salt, put in a plastic food bag tie up and shake well. Also weigh out castor sugar and put in plastic food bag tie up.

All ingrdients are weighed and ready for baking day. At this point cut baking parchment ready to line tin.

Baking Day.

Pre-heat oven 150C or Gas mark 2

Place into mixing bowl 250 grms. of butter cut into cubes and beat until soft. Now add the castor suger and beat well together until nice and creamy.
Now add the 5 eggs slowly a little at a time, making sure the egg mixture is well mixed in before adding more. If mixture starts to curdle just add a little of the flour and spices. When all the eggs have been added mix in with a metal spoon all the fruit and any liquid from container. Fold in the flour and spices in 2 halves, until thoroughly mixed together.
Put mixture into lined cake tin and make ashallow hollow in centre of mixture.

To protect the outside of the cake from cooking to fast, take 3 sheets of newspaper and secure around the outside of cake tin, allowing the newspaper to stick up above level of the tin,place a piece of tin foil across the top. (this protects top of the cake)

Place in oven on a shelf lower than middle and bake for 3 -3 1/2 hours.

Start testing after 2 1/2 hours with a fine clean metal scure or knitting needle.

Testing.
Stick scure or needle into centre of cake and leave for a few seconds, remove and wipe on a piece of kitchen roll if any trace of mixture replace tin foil and gently slide shelf back into oven and bake for longer.Test this way .at regular intervals until kitchen roll is clean and dry.

Remove from oven discard newspaper and tin foil, stand for about 10-15 minutes before removing cake tin. Place on wire tray to cool.. Adding the spirits to the fruit and allowing it to soak in means no more needs to be added as it does not evaporate in baking.

For storage place cake into an air tight container.

If you wish to ice cake leave for a couple of days before covering with apricot jam and mazipan and a futher couple of days before icing.

Hope your cake tuns out to be the success mine have for the last 40 years.

Written by Kath Perrin

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