Equal Rights for the Traditional English Christmas Cake

Even though I am the only one of five household members who will actually admit to harboring a penchant for an afternoon slice of traditional English Christmas (heavily brandied fruit) Cake with my cup of tea, come December, the young men of the house still can't resist our family's annual, late October ritual of a stir and a wish of this much-mocked (State-side) seasonal treat in the makings.

Dating back in Britain to the middle ages and made with honey, spices, preserved fruits and barley mash, the traditional, marzipan and royal icing-topped fruit cake that has graced the festive table in the UK now for centuries was able to be made months ahead of winter festivals thanks to preserving qualities of sugar, rather ironically brought back from the American colonies in the 1500s.

Although, admittedly, it is a bit of a performance to assemble the necessary infrastructure for the long, slow, low-heat baking ritual, at least a couple of months ahead of Christmas, the making of the cake is pretty straightforward.

For Anglophile readers, partial to a slice of Christmas Cake, homemade is always better than store bought and a handful of key items (such as string, brown paper and a tin of black treacle or darkest molasses) may be quite easily stashed at the back of the baking shelf for utilizing year after year. Just in case an American pal or two takes a notion to join me at the tea table with a slice, I've tended, over the past few years to omit including any scary candied peel or glace cherries in my cake.

Southern Sonoma Country Life Take on Traditional English Christmas Cake

9 oz plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 level tsp allspice

36 ounces of small or finely chopped dried fruit of choice (I use a mix of currants/cranberries)

8 ounces unsalted butter

8 ounces drak brown sugar

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 level tablespoons of black treacle

2 tsp grated lemon rind

4 0unces slithered almonds

Half a cup of brandy

 

Soak dried fruit in brandy overnight. Line base and sides of an extra deep 8 inch cake tin with double layer of greaseproof paper and tie a double band of brown paper around the outside of the pan, being sure to allow a one inch wider depth of paper at the top.

Sieve flour, salt and spice into a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar and beat in an egg at a time. Stir in treacle, add flour mixture, fruit and nuts. Mix thorouhly and make a wish for the coming year. Turn mixture into pan, evenly and bake at 275 degrees F in center of oven for 4 - 5 hours. Leave cake to cool. Remove from pan. Poor a little more brandy over the top and wrap in greaseproof paper and foil. Store in a cool spot until December. Decorate with a thin layer of rolled marzipan and royal icing  a week before Christmas. Top with holly and festive touches and tie with a big, red ribbon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Mark Morritt]

Thanks, Frances. The recipe looks good and I may even try it at home this year. Now, can you do the same PR job on the brilliant and yet much maligned traditional christmas pudding?

[Lindsey]

Ohhhh, I might have to make one now - this has really given me an appetite for fruit cake....
And Mark, I totally agree, Christmas pudding is divine!

[Lesley]

No on the mince pies, and major no on the Christmas pud, but I could eat Christmas cake till it's coming out of my ears. I think it's all that sugar and marzipanny goodness...

[Frances]

Lindsey and Mark, this recipe was adapted from a page, kindly torn out of a cookbook in Elaine's kitchen in Crowland (she ripped it out, not me)many years ago. It must have been the cookbook she had when she was first married. It is getting a bit tattered and torn and batter splattered, as you can imagine, but the cake always comes out great. I'm not so adept at Christmas pud - would give it another go if you all were here in California for Christmas dinner!

[Lindsey]

Frances, I can't wait until we're frequenting London cafes eating cake and mince pies...Lesley, as a Northerner, do you have that strange custom of eating it with cheese like they do in Yorkshire???

[Charene]

Frances, I too am the only one in my house who likes Christmas cake. Is your cake dark or light. I usually make a light cake. I too love Christmas pudding with white sauce and mincemeat...mmmm!

[Frances]

Mine is a dark cake, Charene. How do you make a light one? No black treacle? My Nana made light ones with fruit on top instead of marzipan and icing, Dundee cake sort of. I like those too. Timo's wine tasting first, then a Christmas Cake date!

[Lesley]

No Lindsey, I've never eaten Christmas cake with cheese, but then I don't eat cheese. I don't recall anybody in my family eating that combo. My brother in law is partial to apple pie with a chunk of cheddar though...

[Charene]

Sounds like a plan! I'm making my Christmas Pudding and Mincemeat this Sunday, first time for both. The baton is now passed to my generation. My grandmother's and great-grandmother's pudding bowls have been shipped to me from Canada. I hope I make them proud.