Amaretto Christmas cake
An easy
Christmas cake that is perfect every time. No creaming, flapping or soaking of
the fruits required!
Ingredients
- 350 g raisins
- 300 g butter
- 250 g soft light brown sugar
- 300 g sultanas
- 50 g crystallized ginger chopped (optional)
- Zest and juice of 1 large Orange
- 200 g glace cherries rinsed, dried and halved
- 200 g dried figs or prunes chopped
- 125 ml Amaretto plus 1 tablespoon extra for soaking the cake
- 300 g plain flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 2 tablespoons treacle
- 5 medium eggs, beaten
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
First, Preheat
the oven to 160 ° C / 140Fan / 300F / Gas Mark 2.
Then, It's
really worth taking the time to align your mold to protect it during its long
cooking.
Grease a
round cake pan 23 cm (10 cm deep) and smooth the base and sides with parchment
paper. Cut out a circle of parchment paper using the base of your mold.
To align the
sides, cut a strip of baking paper a little longer than the circumference of
the tin and about 3 inches higher. Fold it one inch along its length, then use
scissors to make small cuts to the fold line, forming a bang along the entire
length. It should now be perfectly adjusted inside the cake mold. Finally,
place your circle on top, covering the bangs.
Place the
dried fruit in a large saucepan with Amaretto, butter, sugar, zest and orange
juice, lemon zest, molasses, cinnamon, spice mixture and nutmeg.
Simmer
gently, stirring, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for at least 1
hour. I often did it in advance and left it overnight.
When you are
ready to bake the cake, pour the tempered fruit mixture into a large mixing
bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the flour, yeast and ground almonds.
Stir until everything is well combined.
Pour into
the baking pan and bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the cake picks up from the
surface when you lightly press it and a skewer inserted in the center of the
cake comes out clean.
Cool
completely in tin.
When the
cake is completely cold, pierce a few holes, sprinkle with a little Amaretto,
then wrap in a double layer of parchment paper and aluminum foil and keep in an
airtight container.
Happy
Cooking Time.
