Grandad's Christmas Cake

Name: Grandad’s Christmas Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Yield: 1 servings
Ingredients: 330 g Plain flour; ¼ tsp Salt (no need if Butter is salted); ½ tsp Mixed spice; ½ tsp Ground cinnamon; 250 g Dark brown sugar; 250 g Butter; 2 tbsp Black treacle; 1 tbsp Marmalade; ¼ tsp Vanilla essence; 4 eggs (medium); 25 ml milk; 500 g Dried mixed fruit; 500 g Sultanas; 200 g Glacé Cherries (Halved); 100 g Chopped nuts (to own choice or not at all)

AuthorGrandadCategoryCake, DessertDifficultyIntermediate

100%, the most delicious Christmas cake my family and I have ever had. We have it, by tradition, every year, a couple of times through December and January. A must have for the Christmas Season!

Yields1 Serving

Prep Time45 minsCook Time2 hrs 30 minsTotal Time3 hrs 15 mins

Dry Ingredients

330 g Plain flour

¼ tsp Salt (no need if Butter is salted)

½ tsp Mixed spice

½ tsp Ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

250 g Dark brown sugar

250 g Butter

2 tbsp Black treacle

1 tbsp Marmalade

¼ tsp Vanilla essence

4 eggs (medium)

25 ml milk

Fruit

500 g Dried mixed fruit

500 g Sultanas

200 g Glacé Cherries (Halved)

100 g Chopped nuts (to own choice or not at all)

Equipment

You will need:
Electric mixer with beater and dough hook
2 litre bowl
Kitchen scales
Flexible spatula
20 cm square cake tin

Prepare dry ingredients

Sift plain flour, mixed spice, and cinnamon into a 3 litre bowl. Add salt if necessary.

Prepare wet ingredients

Into bowl of electric mixer add the dark brown sugar. Cut butter into 1 cm cubes and with the blender on slow speed, fitted with beater blade, add to the brown sugar. Add black treacle, marmalade, and vanilla essence. You may need to occasionally scrape the sides of the bowl with the flexible spatula to ensure everything is mixed.

For this step you may need to increase the speed of the blender slightly. Add one egg at a time to the mix along with 3 or 4 heaped tablespoons of the dry mix until all the eggs and dry mix are in. Add the milk.

Remove the beater blade and replace with the dough hook. With the blender on slow speed add the mixed fruit, sultanas, glace cherries, and nuts if required.

Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in a pre-heated fan oven at 140° C / 284° F. Check that the cake is completely done by inserting a dry knife.

ì Finished

Ingredients