How to Make a Delicious Christmas Cake

I’m going to tell you how to make a delicious Christmas cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1.  225 gm flour (maida)

2.  1 tsp mixed spices

3.  ½ tsp powdered cinnamons (dalchini)

4.  50 gm ground almond (badam)

5.  4 eggs

6.  2 tbsp brandy

7.  125 gm margarine

8.  175 gm brown sugar

9.  1 tbsp black treacle (kala gur)

10.  300 gm currents (sukhe kale angoor)

11.  200 gm sultanas (badi kishmish)

12.  125 gm raisins (kishmish)

13.  90 gm glace cherries

14.  60 gm whole almond

15.  90 gm candid peels

16.  Rind of 1 lemon

For Almond Paste:

1.  500 gm ground almond

2.  250 gm castor sugar

3.  250 gm icing sugar

4.  ½ tsp almond essence

5.  4 egg yolks

For Royal Icing:

1.  700 gm icing sugar

2.  3 egg whites

3.  1 tbsp

4.  Lemon juice

For the cake Tin:

1.  7” Diameter round cake tin, 3-1/2” deep

2.  Greaseproof papers

3.  Thick brown papers

Lining the Cake Tin:

1.  Grease the tin all over inside, lightly

2.  Take 4 thicknesses of greaseproof paper, place tin on the top and mark with pencil the round shape of the tin

3.  Cut the paper in round shape trip properly so that it can be placed inside the tin

4.  Lightly grease all the 4 cut papers and place inside the tin at the bottom, one above the other

5.  Similarly take the 4 thicknesses of greaseproof papers, of length enough to encircle the tin in the sides inside, with overlapping by an inch or two and with height an inch or two above the rim of the tin

6.  Lightly grease oil all the 4 cut papers and place inside the tin at the sides, one sticking to the other

7.  Cut the thick brown paper in the length of the outsides of the tin cake, with an overlapping of an inch or two and the height 2 inch more than the height of the tin.

8.  Grease the outside wall of the tin as well as the cut thick brown paper and wrap around the outside tin wall.  The height of 2 inch more saves the cake from overbrowing

Procedure:

1.  Lightly flour currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries, whole almonds, candid pearls and lemon rind.  Set aside.

2.  Sieve together flour, mixed spices, nutmeg, cinnamon and almond.  Set aside.

3.  Whisk together eggs and brandy vigorously and set aside

4.  Mix together margarine, brown sugar and black treacle in a large bow and form a creamy mixture by mixing vigorously with wooden spoon

5.  Add the sieved ingredients and fold together

6.  Add the whisked egg and brandy and fold the mixture

7.  Add the floured ingredients and lightly mix the mixture together without overheating it, but thoroughly.  The cake mixture is ready.

8.  Place the cake mixture in the lined cake tin.  Smooth the top of the cake mixture with black of the wet spoon.

9.  Bake the cake in preheated oven at 275 degree F or 135 degree C for 3-1/2 to 4 hours

10.  Before removing the cake, see that it has shrunk away from the sides of the tin and secondly press firmly on the top to feel the setting of the cake.  When taken out, listening carefully for the humming sound, if any.  Even it is there faintly, the cake is not fully cooked and should be put back in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes more

11.  Then take out, allow to cool in the tin itself and then unmold on the wire rake.

12.  When fully cold, store in an airtight tin.

13.  Rich cakes, such as the above, requires a fortnight at least to get mature before it is ready for the icing.

14.  For making the almond paste, mix all the ingredients together and make a firm mixture.  Kneed thoroughly but do not over handle

15.  For making the royal icing, whisk the egg white lightly.  Stir in the icing sugar and lemon juice.  Beat well until icing is very white and has a smooth texture.

16.  Cover the top and the sides of the cake with almond paste.

17.  The cakes are never iced with the piping since they need to look like the white snow at the time of Christmas.  To achieve this, apply the icing with knife.  First coat with very thin layer of royal icing all around.  Put on the second layer evenly, covering the cake completely on the top and the sides and it needs to be absolutely flat.  For the stunning presentation, the top could be flat and the sides picked up a little with the knife since the royal icing holds its shape wonderfully.