My week at home is almost over, not being as active in the kitchen as I wanted but with my flu, the couch has been my best friend this week. However I have made our Christmas cake and am now topping it up weekly with the brandy.  I love Christmas but always battle to make a nice Christmas cake. But this year I think I have found a winner which I want to share with you....... I have promised my niece that we will decorate the cake together when we go down to London for Christmas but I wanted to show you my decorations.....

Light Christmas Cake:-

Ingredients:

230g Butter
5 medium Eggs
680g Mixed Fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas, peel)
60g Glaced Cherries (roughly chopped)
1/2 teaspoon Mixed Spices
60g Ground Almonds
230g Demerara Sugar
60g Almonds (roughly chopped)
340g Self Raising Flour
110ml Brandy or Rum
(55ml Milk - if needed to adjust consistency of mixture).

110ml Brandy for topping up as cake matures.

Method:

1. Grease the insides of a 20 to 25cm round cake tin with butter or margarine.  Cover the inside of the tin with greaseproof paper. It is important to get the paper to sit as neatly as possible in the tin.
2. Mix the butter and sugar together till thick and creamy.  
3. Keeping your mixer going, careful add the eggs.  Keeping the mixer going on a medium to high speed will stop the eggs curdling. The process of blending in the eggs will incorporate a lot of air into the cake which makes it "light". Turn your oven on now to 170 C, 325F, Gas Mark 3.
4. Remove the mixture from  your mixer, gentle spoon into a wide bowl.
5. Add the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice into the bowl and gentle mix them in.  The object is to mix the ingredients well but don't knock out the air.
6. Add the mixed fruit, glaced cherries, chopped almonds and brandy.  
7. The consistency of the mix should be that you can drop off a spoon with some reluctance.  If the mixture is too thick, add some milk and mix gently again.
8. Gentle spoon the mixture into the lined tin and level out with the back of the spoon.
9. Make a small well in the centre of the mixture, this will prevent the cake from rising too excessively in the centre when baking.  
10. Bake for 3 - 3 and half hours (20 mins less for fan assisted ovens). Turn the cake round once or twice during baking to ensure it cooks evenly.  When fully cooked the top will be slightly cracked.
11. Leave the cake to cool for a couple of hours before storage. To store, cover in greaseproof paper and then wrap in tinfoil or store in an airtight container.  Once a week drizzle some brandy over the top and seal up tightly.

 Little Xmas Trees, Father Xmas and presents

 Snowmen

Snowmen Border

Tips

After 2 hours I started watching my cake as my oven cooks quickly so I never cooked it for the whole 3 hours.  I will use warmed apricot jam when I put the marzipan and royal icing on the cake.......