Happy Christmas and Cake

Midweek distraction no 10 - this is the last blog for 2010 until the new year. I wish you Happy Holidays, a Happy Christmas and successful baking. 

On a Christmas Cake Theme; I leave you with a slice of my White Christmas Cake :

And a song about a rather heavy Christmas Cake. The words and music were written by C. Frank Horn in 1883. 'Mrs Fogarty's Christmas Cake', sung and played by musician, Tom Smith, from Boston, MA, USA ( http://tomsmithmusic.com/) :



and a joke :

Dave’s Christmas Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups of dried fruit
1 cup of brown sugar

2 cups flour
Lemon juice
Nuts
1 bottle of brandy

 

Method

Sample the brandy to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the brandy again. To be sure it's the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Make sure the brandy is still OK.

Cry another tup. Tune up the mixer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it goose with a drewscriver.

Sample the brandy to check for vonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of flour. Or something. Who cares?

Check the brandy. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon the sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees.

Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the brandy again and go to bed. Hic.

Orange and Cranberry Port Wine Cake

A beautiful, glazed cake enhanced with soaked cranberries in Port wine and flavoured with orange and spice. It really is simple too, a very basic pound cake made with good quality organic butter and demerara sugar.

Just one thing to remember, it's the Port that 'maketh' the difference. It plumps up and adds sweetness to the cranberries. I also added a spoonful to the orange glaze. The other notable difference I found, in this recipe, the butter taste was not dominated by any of  the other flavours. Therefore, you get this lovely buttery, spiced orange, fruity taste left in your mouth during and after you've eaten it. 

 

A very fruity first slice.

Text Only Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Pre bake 2/3 days ahead:

7oz (200g) Dried Cranberries (2 bags of Crazy Jacks Organic Cranberries)
4 tbsp Port (Port wine /sweet Port, non-alcoholic suggestion; raspberry cordial)

Rinse and check over fruit for any stalks etc. Put into a small bowl with Port and cover; stir each day to plump up the fruit.

Cake:

8oz (225g) Butter (Yeo Valley Organic)
8oz (225g) Demerara sugar (Raw sugar)
4  Large eggs

2 oranges
8oz (225g) Self raising four
2 tsp Ground cinnamon
Cranberries (see pre-bake info above)

Glaze:

4oz Demerara sugar
4 fl. oz Orange juice (the juice from the 2 oranges)
1 tbsp Port

Worth seeking out - good quality dried fruit http://www.crazyjack.co.uk/

Method:

Preheat oven 140c/120c Fan/275F/Gas Mark 1

Grease and flour cake tin. For this recipe I used a ring tin or you could use a Bundt tin or a loaf tin.

Cream the sugar and butter together.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the zest from the two oranges. Fold in half the flour and the cinnamon. Then coat the cranberries in the remaining flour and combine with the cake batter.  

The mixture is quite chunky so you will need to spoon it into the tin. Place into the oven.

Check after 25-30 minutes. Cook until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. This one took 40 mins in my ring tin.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, make sure sides of the cake are coming away from the tin and remove. Place on serving plate ready for a brushed glaze or on a cooling rack and tray for a poured glaze.

To make the glaze; use the juice from the two oranges and put in a saucepan with 4 oz demerara sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time until the sugar is completely dissolved and boil for three minutes. Allow to cool for two minutes and add the tbsp Port. Brush or pour over the cake.

The cake serves at least 16 and the recipe can be halved easily. This did remind me of an English Cherry Madeira Cake which was traditionally served with Madeira wine. Although I suppose you could serve this with Port, I am firmly in the Cheese and Port Brigade and then, Tea and Cake Platoon.  So I’m off to ‘put the kettle on’….