Dark Christmas Cake
Dark Christmas Cake
Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
This recipe makes 6 servings
Nutritional Info |
|
|---|---|
| Per slice: | - |
| cal | 113 |
| pro | 1 g |
| total fat | 3 g |
| sat. fat | 1 g |
| carb | 20 g |
| fibre | 1 g |
| chol | 16 mg |
| sodium | 40 mg |
| % RDI: | - |
| calcium | 2 |
| iron | 4 |
| vit A | 2 |
| vit C | 7 |
| folate | 4 |
- Portion size: 6 cakes, 14 slices each
To ice cake, double the almond paste and icing in our Tropical White Christmas Cake recipe. See link below.
Ingredients
- 2 cups 2cupscurrantcurrants
- 2 cups 2cupsmixed candied peel
- 1-1/2 cups 1-1/2cupscoarsely chopped candied pineapple
- 1-1/2 cups 1-1/2cupsred candied cherries, halved
- 1-1/2 cups 1-1/2cupsseeded Muscat raisins or lexia raisins
- 1 cup 1cupbrandy or rum
- 2 cups 2cupsall-purpose flour
- 2 tsp 2tspbaking powder
- 1/2 tsp 1/2tspbaking soda
- 1/4 tsp 1/4tspground allspice
- 1/4 tsp 1/4tspground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp 1/4tspground nutmeg
- 1 pinch 1pinchsalt
- 3/4 cup 3/4cupbutter, softened
- 1 cup 1cuppacked brown sugar
- 1/3 cup 1/3cupstrawberry jam
- 2 tbsp 2tbspfancy molasses
- 5 5eggeggs
- 1-1/2 cups 1-1/2cupschopped walnut halfwalnut halves
Preparation
Tropical White Christmas Cake recipe (for almond paste and icing ingredients).
In large bowl, combine currants, mixed peel, pineapple, cherries, raisins and 3/4 cup (175 mL) of the brandy; cover and let stand for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Line base and sides of 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan with double thickness parchment paper. Set aside.
In bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt ; remove 1/2 cup (125 mL) and toss with fruit mixture.
In separate bowl, beat together butter, sugar, jam and molasses until fluffy; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in remaining flour mixture all at once just until incorporated. Add fruit mixture and walnuts; stir to combine. Scrape into prepared pan, smoothing top.
Set shallow pan on bottom rack of 300°F (150°C) oven; pour in enough water to come halfway up sides of pan. Bake cake on centre rack for 1 hour. Lay foil loosely over cake; bake until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean but a little sticky, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack.
Remove cake from pan; peel off paper. Soak double-thickness 16-inch (40 cm) square of cheesecloth in remaining brandy; wrap around cake. Wrap in plastic wrap then foil. Refrigerate for 1 month. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 months.) Cut crosswise into 6 bars.
Source : Canadian Living Special Issue: Holiday Best 2004
