Delia's Creole Christmas Cake

This is the easiest Christmas cake to make! My stand mixer lay idle while I stirred and folded, that is a first for me, especially when it comes to the making our Christmas fruit cake! Yes it's true, it didn't plug in any gadgets when I mixed this cake, that alone makes this cake a winner! 

I have been in love with this recipe for a long time, it just screams Christmas with all the spices, alcohol, the chopped nuts and the smell...so Christmassy!

I was slightly dubious about the long list of spirits and lets be honest I was totally put off by the addition of Angostura bitter! It sounded like one of  those dusty bottles that your grandparents would have at the back of their drinks cabinet, stood beside tiny lime green bottles of Snowball or Advocaat!! Remember those? 

Well I thought this year was the year that I would make it no matter what obstacles I faced :) I did some research and discovered that this could be made without any effort. So here is how I got on, remember no electric mixers were used in the making of this sumptuous Christmas cake!! Enjoy.

Makes 1 x 8inch (20cm) Cake Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For pre soaking
3 tbsp Rum
3 tbsp Brandy

3 tbsp Cherry Brandy*
3 tbsp Port
3 tbsp Water
1½ tsp Angostura Bitters*
½ level tsp Ground cinnamon
½ level tsp Nutmeg, freshly grated
½ level tsp Ground cloves
½ tsp Salt
1½ tsp Vanilla extract
1 level tsp Molasses sugar/ Dark brown sugar
450g Raisins
225g Currants
110g No-soak prunes, chopped
50g Glacé cherries, chopped
110g Candied peel, finely chopped
50g Mixed chopped nuts

For the cake:
250g Self-raising flour
250g Demerara sugar
250g Room temperature butter
5 large eggs

Method

*The Angostura bitters proved to be difficult to buy locally so after some research I decided to substitute it with Worcestershire sauce, now I cannot make a direct comparison but the experts tell me that they are very similar and the Worcestershire sauce does have a bitter tang. You decide.  

*The Cherry Brandy was also tricky to buy but you can just added more regular brandy to the dried fruit instead.  

7 days before baking the cake place all the pre-soaking ingredients into a large saucepan, warm the dried fruit, nuts, spices and alcohol over a low heat and allow to simmer gently (do not boil) for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally, once all the fruits are warmed through and the sugar is dissolved remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool completely. When the fruit is totally cooled, place in a airtight container and store in the fridge for seven days. Shake occasionally to mix. That's it, nothing more until you want to bake the cake!

Seven days later preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1, grease and line with parchment paper an 8 inch/20cm deep sided round baking tin. Place the flour, sugar, room temperature butter and eggs into a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until everything is combined. Gently fold in the dried fruit mixture, don't over mix.

Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared baking tin, level off and place into the preheated oven for 3 hours. Remove from the oven after the 3 hours, cover the top of the cake with a double layer of parchment paper and bake for 1 more hour.

The cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake or the centre springs back when lightly pressed. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin. 

Wrap the cooled cake in a double layer of parchment paper and a double layer of tin foil. Store in an airtight tin.  Every week you can "feed" the cake brandy -using a cocktail stick poke holes into the top of the cake and pour small amounts of brandy into each -your already rich cake will just sing when you cut it at Christmas :)