Maggie Beers Christmas Cake Recipes

MAGGIE BEER'S CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Mix the dried fruit and orange zest together in a glass or china bowl.
• Pour the brandy over and mix again.
• Cover the bowl and leave for at least 24 hours, turning mixture occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 140 degrees C.
• Grease and line a 24cm round cake tin with several layers of paper.
• Paper should extend 10cm above the rim of the tin.
• Sift flour, spices and salt.
• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.
• Beat eggs in a separate bowl then mix very gradually into the creamed mixture.
• Gently fold in the spiced flour, then fold in the dried fruit mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Decorate the top with blanched almonds.
• Bake for about 3 hours.
• A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean when the cake is cooked.
• A baking dish full of water placed on the oven shelf below the cake during cooking will help keep the cake moist.
• Cool the cake in the tin for 30 minutes before transfering to a wire rack.
• To store, wrap the cake in several layers of greaseproof paper, then wrap in foil and store in an air-tight tin.