Christmas Cake

You simply can't have Christmas without Christmas Cake. It just wouldn't be right.

I have grown up with this cake, my mum always made it on the last weekend of October (having soaked the fruit beforehand-you do need to think ahead a bit with this one) so it had time to 'mature'. It was a family affair with my sister and I helping. I have made it for the past 2 years, but this year, I decided that my partner and I didn't need a whole cake (we love it and end up eating the whole thing in a ridiculously short period of time). So I reduced my mum's famous recipe and made a few little alterations of my own, including making small cakes instead of 1 large one. They'd make great little gifts.

I love how plump the dried fruit becomes, all drunk on brandy. And the minute you add the flour it all turns the most divine golden shade. This cake is truly a much anticipated joy for me to bake (and eat). Traditionally our family doesn't go in for iced Christmas cake and none of us are big on Marzipan, but this year I went with some royal icing, as per the lovely Rose Elliot.

Ingredients:

3/4 c currants

3/4 c raisins

1/2 c sultanas

1/2 c dried cranberries

1 c brandy

100g dairy free spread

1/2 c brown sugar

2 eggs

50g chopped glace cherries

1/3 c chopped mixed peel

1 c plain flour

pinch salt

rind of 1/2 lemon

1/3 c chopped hazelnuts

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp baking powder

To make:

1) Turn the oven to 150 °c, gas mark 2. Grease a 6 hole Texan muffin pan.

2) Wash the cranberries, raisins, currants and sultanas and drain in a colander. Then leave, covered, to soak in the brandy, at least overnight but I normally leave them a few days so they soak up all the brandy and get lovely and plump.

3) Cream the spread in a large bowl and gradually add the sugar, beating well.

4) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5) Mix in the lemon rind then add the soaked fruit, mixed peel, cherries and hazelnuts, mix thoroughly.

6) Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spice and add gradually, stirring from the bottom to make sure everything is combined.

7) Spoon into the tins, bake for 40min -1hour (depending on your oven). Once cooked, the cake will come away from the sides and if you insert a skewer, it will come out clean.

Makes 6 Texan muffin size cakes.

For Rose Elliot's Royal Icing...

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

450g icing sugar, sifted

1/2 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs glycerine

To make:

1) Whisk the egg whites until frothy, and gradually add other ingredients.

2) Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens and stands in peaks.

3) Use a spatula to cover the cakes in this sweet, fluffy icing. I garnished these with dried cranberries.