Christmas Means Biting Into A Delicious Cake

Christmas is round the corner. Whenever one thinks of Christmas time one's mouth naturally begins to water. Why? Naturally one will have several occasions to bite into a tasty cake. Mothers are constantly worrying how to serve the best cake to their children and other members of their family.

Several recipes are available on the television, in cook books and of course on the Internet. Just browse through and you will find a recipe that is easy to prepare. Here's one for you to try it out:


Ingredients :

225g/8oz Plain Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed Spice
200g/7oz Butter
2 tbsp Black treacle
200g/7oz dark brown sugar
1 tbsp Marmalade
4 free-range Eggs lightly beaten,
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
800g/1 3/4 lb mixed dried fruits
150g/5oz lace cherries halved
100g/ 3 1/2 oz chopped mixed peel
100g/3 1/2 oz blanched almonds chopped
150g/5oz Cherries (halved brandy)

Items to decorate the cake with:

1-2 tbsp apricot jam (warmed)
200g/7oz marzipan.
3 free-range egg whites
11/2 tsp liquid Glycerine - optional
Royal icing
600g/1lb 5oz icing sugar sieved
1 1/2 tsp liquid glycerine - optional
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Heat up the the oven to 150C/300F/Gas2
2. Then grease the oven a 20cm/8inch round or about 18cm/7inch square type cake tin.
3. Line up the bottom as well as the sides with some baking parchment. Then sieve the salt, flour, mixed spice as well as cinnamon into a clean bowl.
4. The next step is to cream up the butter as well as the sugar in rather large mixing bowl.
5. After this is done one has to mix the sugar, marmalade, treacle as well as vanilla essence until it is fluffy and light.
6. Mix up the eggs one at time into the mixture by adding about a tablespoonful of flour.
7. Gradually pour out the full amount of the flour into the bowl and mix it properly. 8. Put some dried fruit,glace cherries, mixed peels as well as almonds.
9. Place the mixture into a "prepared" tin which is a bit hollow in the center. Bake it in the oven for about 3 hours and then test the content with a skewer. If it is not quite ready then let it bake for another hour. Keep testing every 20 minutes until the skewer comes up absolutely clean.
10. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the container for about 15 minutes.
11. Then, the next step would be to take wire rack and allow the content to cool. 12. Once the cake cools down, with the help of skewer make some holes and pour about 3-4 teaspoonful of brandy. Allow the cake to be soaked in brandy.
13. The cake must be stored in a foil and kept in an airtight tin or perhaps in plastic container, holes side up.

In case you want very rich as well as moist cake then pour some spoons of brandy over it for about a week till it is ready for icing. Decorate the cake after that. Sounds yummy doesn't. Try it out this Christmas and treat your family to delicious cake.