Dark Christmas Cake
To ice cake, double the almond paste and icing in our Tropical White Christmas Cake recipe. See link below.
This recipe makes 6 servings
Dark Christmas Cake
Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
| 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% |
Ingredients
-
2 cups currants
2 cups mixed candied peel
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped candied pineapple
1-1/2 cups red candied cherries, halved
1-1/2 cups seeded Muscat raisins or lexia raisins
1 cup brandy or rum
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup strawberry jam
2 tbsp fancy molasses
5 eggs
1-1/2 cups chopped walnut 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
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