This is a much lighter version of the regular Christmas cake. It is fashioned using a variation of the pound cake recipe.

With the amount of rum that goes into it, any pirate would be happy to go ‘Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum’ after a bite of this cake!

Click any of the thumbnails below to watch a slide show of the work in progress.

Pre – preparation :

In a mason jar, add 500 gms of chopped fruits like dates, currants, sultanas, apricots and orange peel. Soak the fruit in about 500-600 mls of rum. Pour enough rum to cover the fruits completely. Feel free to add more rum, depending on the quantity of fruit you use.

I usually do this a year ahead. Yes, I know it’s a bit eccentric but I like my fruits well and truly boozy. :)

You can also do this on Stir Up Sunday or about a month in advance.

Ingredients:

250 gms self raising flour + 2 tablespoons

250 gms lightly salted butter, softened

250 gms granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

250 gms rum soaked fruit

Other equipment:

Greased baking tin. I use a 10 inch square tin.

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4 or 180 degrees celsius for 12-15 minutes.
2. Add the baking powder to the flour and sift it three times to air it well.
3. Beat the butter, sugar and eggs together until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
4. Add in the flour, gently, to ensure it is well folded in to the mixture but does not form clumps.
5. Add the extra 2 tablespoons of flour to the fruit. Ensure that the flour has coated the fruit. (This prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake.)
6. Add this fruit to the cake batter and make sure it is evenly distributed.
7. Pour the cake mixture into the greased baking tin.
8. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Check after 40 minutes and adjust the timings based on your oven.
9. The cake is done when the top is golden and a toothpick or a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
10. Take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.
11. Enjoy warm with a generous lashing of brandy cream!

Notes:

The Christmas cake can be eaten as it is. Or for a more festive looking cake, you can cover it in layers of marzipan and royal icing, as I have.

Filed under: Cakes, Festive food Tagged: boozy cake, Christmas cake, fruit cake, marzipan, pound cake, royal icing, rum fruit cake, Stir up Sunday

Read the original on: The Weekend Baker