Christmas Cake Recipes

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine cherries, citrus peel, raisins, currants, dates, and almonds. Stir in brandy; let stand 2 hours, or overnight. Dredge soaked fruit with 1/2 cup flour.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease an 8x8x3 inch fruit cake pan, line with parchment paper, and grease again. In a small bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter until light. Gradually blend in brown sugar and eggs. Mix together molasses and apple juice. Beat into butter mixture alternately with flour mixture, making 4 dry and 3 liquid additions. Fold in floured fruit. Turn batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Remove from pan, and lift off paper. Cool cake completely, then wrap loosely in waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

MAKE & MATURE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put 1kg mixed dried fruit, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 150ml brandy or other alcohol, 250g softened butter and 200g light, soft brown sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat.
• Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside - tie with string to secure.
• Add 175g plain flour, 100g ground almonds, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 100g flaked almonds, 4 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
• Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.
• Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
• To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in cling film. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it.
• Don't feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.

TRADITIONAL BRITISH CHRISTMAS CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 300 F/150 C/Gas 2.

CHRISTMAS TREE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and unsalted butter to a large bowl and cream together using a hand or stand mixer.
• Beat in the vanilla, eggs, sour cream and buttermilk.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir just to combine.
• Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
• In a small bowl, stir together the vanilla frosting and green food coloring. Start with about 5 drops of green food coloring, stir, and see if you like the shade or if you want to add a few more drops to get a deeper green color.
• Spoon the colored frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Start by piping a center star and then work your way around the top of the cupcake, moving slowly in as you go, to form a triangular shape, like a tree.
• Top with your favorite holiday sprinkles and dust with the confectioner's sugar for a snowy effect.
• Serve and enjoy!

TRADITIONAL CANADIAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Place all fruit in large bowl; add bourbon and soak for 2-4 hours
• Preheat oven to 300°F and grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans 2 1/2 inches deep or five 5 3/4 x 3 pans 2 inches deep
• Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter it (the original recipe was waxed paper)
• Cream together butter and brown sugar; beat in the eggs.
• Sift all dry ingredients; beat into butter mixture
• Add molasses and brewed black coffee or espresso to mixture; combine well
• Fold in the nuts and bourbon soaked in fruit
• Carefully pack the batter into the prepared pans almost to the top (I used an offset spatula to finish the tops of each cake)
• Place pans on centre rack of oven in a bain marie (place pans in a larger pan and pour hot water halfway up the sides); bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until toothpick comes out clean (the small cakes took 50 minutes, so watch carefully after 45 minutes)
• If the tops brown too quickly, place foil over the top
• Cool 30 minutes, then remove and set on wire rack
• Wrap carefully in a triple layer of cheesecloth that has been soaked in bourbon
• Seal tightly in aluminum foil and store in a cool dry place until the holiday season
• Once a week, remove foil, and brush additional bourbon onto the cheese cloth
• The longer it is stored, the more times it is dowsed, the more pungent and flavourful it becomes.

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Add the eggs 1 at a time, and incorporate well. Combine bread crumbs, flour, all the spices, baking powder, and salt. Combine rum and port. Add flour mixture alternately with rum/port mixture into the batter. Fold in the chopped marinated fruit.
• Prepare 1 (9-inch) cake pan or 2 spring form pans by lining bottom and sides with parchment paper. Fill the pan 3/4 of the way and bake until a skewer comes out of the center of the cake clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Put raisins, prunes, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans in a glass jar and cover with mixture of equal parts Jamaican white rum, Jamaican spiced rum, and Port. Cover with a tight fitting lid, label, and date the jar. Put in a cool, dry cupboard. From time to time, check the fruits to see if more liquor is needed, as the fruits will plump and soak up the liquid.
• Keep the fruit covered in liquor. It is best to allow the fruit to marinate for at least 1 month for best flavor.

COCONUT ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in the lower third of oven. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup sugar 4 times.
• Beat egg whites and warm water with a mixer on low speed until foamy, about 3 minutes. Add cream of tartar, vanilla, salt, and coconut extract. Raise speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With machine running, add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Raise speed to high, and beat until peaks are stiff and glossy, but not dry, about 2 minutes.
• Working in 3 batches, sift flour mixture over egg-white mixture, gently folding in each addition with a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate egg whites.
• Slowly pour batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan. Gently run a knife through center of batter to release any air bubbles, and smooth using an offset spatula. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when touched, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Invert pan onto a wire rack. Let cake cool in pan, about 1 hour. Carefully run a knife around sides of cake to loosen, and turn out onto a large plate or cake stand.
• Pour coconut glaze onto cake, and spread evenly using an offset spatula to cover completely. Gently press coconut onto cake. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. Garnish with lollipops.