Maggie Beer's Christmas Cake

Name: Maggie Beer's Christmas Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 1 large cake
Ingredients: 500 g sultanas; 300 g currants; 175 g seedless raisins; 1/4 cup good-quality bitter marmalade; 150 g mixed peel; 2 grated oranges, zest of; 120 ml brandy; 300 g unbleached plain flour; 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 220 g softened unsalted butter; 200 g soft light brown sugar; 4 large free-range eggs; 100 g blanched almonds

Submitted by Tess8728

"This excellent recipe was published in the Melbourne Age in the lead up to Christmas 2002. Maggie Beer is a very well respected cook here in Australia. It is a lovely, moist, rich, fruit cake and everyone who tasted it loved it. I actually soaked the fruit in brandy for three weeks and topped the brandy up a few times, which no doubt improved the flavour even more! Prep time does not include soaking the fruit."

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Ready In:: 4hrs
Ingredients:: 15
Yields:: 1 large cake

ingredients

500 g sultanas
300 g currants
175 g seedless raisins
¹⁄₄ cup good-quality bitter marmalade
150 g mixed peel
2 grated oranges, zest of
120 ml brandy
300 g unbleached plain flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground mixed spice
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
220 g softened unsalted butter
200 g soft light brown sugar
4 large free-range eggs
100 g blanched almonds

directions

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.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Tess8728

Australia

I live in South West Victoria (Australia)on a small farm where my husband runs a few beef cows as a hobby. (We both have day jobs as well!) Funny thing is - I don't eat beef. I hate it when our vealers go off to market. Our time for entertaining is limited, but I enjoy trying out new recipes and testing them on family and friends.

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