My Christmas Cake
I make this dark Christmas cake every year . My family loves it and I always wrap small ones as little gifts for friends that drop by.
My Christmas Cake
Ingredients
- ___ Christmas Cake____
- 2 cups whole blanched almonds
- 2 cups seeded raisins {I just use 2 cups light and 2 cups dark raisins if you can’t find these}
- 2 cups seedless raisins
- 2 cups currants
- 2 1/2 cups chopped dates
- 1 cup mixed peel {I like to use a little more}
- 1 cup mixed fruit
- 1 12 oz bottle of red maraschino cherries
- 1/2 cup brandy, sherry or cognac etc. {I use about 1 cup instead..}
- 1 19 oz can of crushed pineapple
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup strawberry jam
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 lb butter- not margarine
- 2 1/4 cups white sugar
- 12 eggs
Instructions
- ___ The Day Before___
- Measure nuts, raisins, currants, dates and mixed peel and fruit into a large bowl. I use my roasting pan. Drain cherries and keep the juice.
- Chop cherries and add to fruit/ nut mixture. Stir in brandy and cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight ..at least one day or even two.
- In a heavy saucepan simmer the can of crushed pineapple{ dont drain }with 2 cups of sugar, cook uncovered for 30 minutes until mixture is thick..
- Add the reserved cherry juice and strawberry jam. This must be cool before adding to the cake mixture,so I do it the day before or early in the day I make the cake..
- ___Cake Pans___
- Prepare the cake pans by greasing them, then lining them with heavy brown paper and then greasing the paper. This recipe makes enough to fill 4 or 5 loaf pans . I make small ones to use as gifts.
- ____On The Day You Make The Cake____
- Preheat oven to 275
- Stir or sift the flour with spices, salt and soda.
- Sprinkle a cup of this flour over the fruit and nuts
- and toss to mix well. Set remaining flour aside.
- In a large bowl cream 2 1/2 cups of sugar with butter.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the dry ingredients
- alternating with the pineapple jam mixture, combining lightly after each addition..
- Pour over the coated fruit and nuts. Mix well until all combined.
- Turn into the prepared pans. They can be filled to about an inch from the top..
- Bake in preheated oven 3 -3 1/2 hours depending on the size of your pans.
- Put a shallow pan of water on bottom rack,, The cakes should be fairly firm to the touch when done and a skewer inserted in middle should come out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and peel off paper.. Cool on racks then wrap in plastic wrap, store in airtight container.
- in fridge or can freeze..
- Enjoy!!!
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