It's officially Christmas season and hence totally acceptable to make, eat and post about Christmas treats. Or maybe too late already? Either way, I'm doing it. And this one is just about as classic as you can get - a festive fruitcake wrapped in homemade marzipan!
I'm currently sitting on my couch, wrapped up comfy pants and watching snow ever so gently falling from in the sky. Believe or not, this is the first proper snow I've ever experience in London (and my fifth winter here!). I've seen several such snowy days in Cambridge and seen glimpses of snow here in London, but nothing like today. I guess this Christmas-y post was meant to be.
My day began with stacks of homemade greek yogurt pancakes (recipe for these will come soon!) with allll the toppings: homemade mixed berry compote, pure maple syrup, crunchy peanut butter, sliced banana and fresh blueberries. In other words, a snowy Sunday breakfast of dreams. This was then followed by a few hours of life admin (I know ya'll get me) and a trip to a gorgeous restaurant for lunch. Basically, it's been a cozy day filled with lotsa good food (and more to come because it's the little sis' birthday so tonight will end with cake!) and well, the perfect Sunday.
And yes, I know you're thinking it - where have I been for the last two months? Trust me, I've been here, making and eating lots of nice things, but just never really getting around to photographing or posting about them *insert monkey covering its eyes emoji here*.
Okay anyways, I think it's time we get back to the talk of the day: Christmas cake.
Now, this recipe does require some pre-planning, so take that into account. In fact, if you're looking to make this for Christmas day, you're reading this at just about at the right time. I've dubbed this the -one-week Christmas cake recipe. Some call for soaking your fruit for just a couple of hours while other recommend baking the cake several weeks or even months in advance and "feeding" with extra liquid regular. This one is just in between - you soak the fruit for a week, but once baked, it's kind of just ready to go the next day.
It's rich, but not too heavy. Boozy, but not too strong. Fruity, but not too sweet. It's simple and perfect.
I will now and forever always be a chocolate girl at heart, so a couple of servings of Christmas cake during the festive period is enough and I've just about lost my attention. But those couple of servings - enjoy them from beginning to the last crumb. I'm very into eating with the seasons and for different occasions!
Long story short - if Christmas cake is your jam, then get cracking on this recipe.
Ingredients
For the cake:
350g mixed dried fruit (currants, sultanas, cranberries and mixed peel)
100g glace cherries, halved
75g dried apricots, chopped into smaller bits
30g additional mixed peel (I really like it hence added more)
150ml brandy, sherry or rum
juice and zest of 1 orange
3 eggs, at room temperature
175g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark muscovado sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
For the marzipan:
250g ground almonds
150g icing sugar
100g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
juice of one lemon
splash of vanilla extract
almond extract, optional (I didn't use this as I didn't feel the need for any extra almond-y flavour and just wanted the natural flavour to shine)
Instructions
A week before you plan on making the cake, place all the dried fruit (including cherries, apricots and additional mixed peel in a large mixing bowl or airtight container), pour over the liquor of choice and orange juice and stir in the orange zest. Cover and leave to soak in the fridge, stirring daily. If the fruit at any point seems to have soaked up all the liquid, add a tad more juice or liquor and check again the next day.
On baking day, line a 9 inch round tin with greaseproof baking paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and beat again. Sift in the flour, salt and ground spices and mix well. Fold in the soaked fruit, first having drained off any excess liquid.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake for an hour then turn the cake around and bake for a further 30 to 45 minutes or until the cake is a rich golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly and the inside is not yet done, cover the cake/pan with foil and keep baking until done.
Meanwhile, start on the marzipan. Pour all the ingredients into a food processor and mix just until they just well combined and form a ball. Knead further with your hands if necessary, but be extra careful not to over-process or over-mix, because you don't want the almonds to turn into a sticky paste (i.e. almond butter).
Wrap the ball in cling film and place in the fridge to set until the cake is ready to cover.
Once the cake is done, let it cool in the pan until completely cool. This is absolutely essential, otherwise, the marzipan will just melt into the cake.
Once you are sure the cake is cool, it is time for the final assembly. Pull the marzipan out of the fridge and roll it out until it is about half a centimeter thick. Wrap the sheet of marzipan on the cake and press down just a bit so the marzipan just sticks. Cut any extra bits off and save for snacking or decorating.
If you can hold off, I promise it tastes better the next day, but if you're like me and find it hard to hold back, then you know what, go for it!
ENJOY!
I'm currently sitting on my couch, wrapped up comfy pants and watching snow ever so gently falling from in the sky. Believe or not, this is the first proper snow I've ever experience in London (and my fifth winter here!). I've seen several such snowy days in Cambridge and seen glimpses of snow here in London, but nothing like today. I guess this Christmas-y post was meant to be.
My day began with stacks of homemade greek yogurt pancakes (recipe for these will come soon!) with allll the toppings: homemade mixed berry compote, pure maple syrup, crunchy peanut butter, sliced banana and fresh blueberries. In other words, a snowy Sunday breakfast of dreams. This was then followed by a few hours of life admin (I know ya'll get me) and a trip to a gorgeous restaurant for lunch. Basically, it's been a cozy day filled with lotsa good food (and more to come because it's the little sis' birthday so tonight will end with cake!) and well, the perfect Sunday.
And yes, I know you're thinking it - where have I been for the last two months? Trust me, I've been here, making and eating lots of nice things, but just never really getting around to photographing or posting about them *insert monkey covering its eyes emoji here*.
Okay anyways, I think it's time we get back to the talk of the day: Christmas cake.
Now, this recipe does require some pre-planning, so take that into account. In fact, if you're looking to make this for Christmas day, you're reading this at just about at the right time. I've dubbed this the -one-week Christmas cake recipe. Some call for soaking your fruit for just a couple of hours while other recommend baking the cake several weeks or even months in advance and "feeding" with extra liquid regular. This one is just in between - you soak the fruit for a week, but once baked, it's kind of just ready to go the next day.
It's rich, but not too heavy. Boozy, but not too strong. Fruity, but not too sweet. It's simple and perfect.
I will now and forever always be a chocolate girl at heart, so a couple of servings of Christmas cake during the festive period is enough and I've just about lost my attention. But those couple of servings - enjoy them from beginning to the last crumb. I'm very into eating with the seasons and for different occasions!
Long story short - if Christmas cake is your jam, then get cracking on this recipe.
Ingredients
For the cake:
350g mixed dried fruit (currants, sultanas, cranberries and mixed peel)
100g glace cherries, halved
75g dried apricots, chopped into smaller bits
30g additional mixed peel (I really like it hence added more)
150ml brandy, sherry or rum
juice and zest of 1 orange
3 eggs, at room temperature
175g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark muscovado sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
For the marzipan:
250g ground almonds
150g icing sugar
100g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
juice of one lemon
splash of vanilla extract
almond extract, optional (I didn't use this as I didn't feel the need for any extra almond-y flavour and just wanted the natural flavour to shine)
Instructions
A week before you plan on making the cake, place all the dried fruit (including cherries, apricots and additional mixed peel in a large mixing bowl or airtight container), pour over the liquor of choice and orange juice and stir in the orange zest. Cover and leave to soak in the fridge, stirring daily. If the fruit at any point seems to have soaked up all the liquid, add a tad more juice or liquor and check again the next day.
On baking day, line a 9 inch round tin with greaseproof baking paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and beat again. Sift in the flour, salt and ground spices and mix well. Fold in the soaked fruit, first having drained off any excess liquid.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake for an hour then turn the cake around and bake for a further 30 to 45 minutes or until the cake is a rich golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly and the inside is not yet done, cover the cake/pan with foil and keep baking until done.
Meanwhile, start on the marzipan. Pour all the ingredients into a food processor and mix just until they just well combined and form a ball. Knead further with your hands if necessary, but be extra careful not to over-process or over-mix, because you don't want the almonds to turn into a sticky paste (i.e. almond butter).
Wrap the ball in cling film and place in the fridge to set until the cake is ready to cover.
Once the cake is done, let it cool in the pan until completely cool. This is absolutely essential, otherwise, the marzipan will just melt into the cake.
Once you are sure the cake is cool, it is time for the final assembly. Pull the marzipan out of the fridge and roll it out until it is about half a centimeter thick. Wrap the sheet of marzipan on the cake and press down just a bit so the marzipan just sticks. Cut any extra bits off and save for snacking or decorating.
If you can hold off, I promise it tastes better the next day, but if you're like me and find it hard to hold back, then you know what, go for it!
ENJOY!
