Traditional English Christmas Cake - Baking the Perfect Cake (PART 2 OF 3)

Welcome back to TortellinoTime, where we bring the joy of cooking to your kitchen. In this second episode of our Christmas cake series, we continue our journey to create the perfect Traditional English Christmas Cake. If you missed the first part, make sure to catch up to learn about soaking the fruits in brandy. We are excited to announce that the third and final episode will be published in about a month, just a couple of weeks before Christmas. So stay tuned for that.

In this video, we will not only be making the rich, moist cake that’s perfect for your festive celebrations, but I will also provide a scaled-down version for those who wish to make a smaller cake. The recipe will cater to both a 23 cm (9 inch) cake tin and a 15 cm (6 inch) tin. Feel free to reach out with any questions as you follow along, as we hope many of you will make this cake in synchrony with us.

KEY CHAPTERS
00:00 - Welcome & Introduction
00:23 - Preparing the Cake Tin - Mixing the Ingredients
04:06 - Mixing the Ingredients
14:54 - Baking the Cake
16:31 - Next Steps

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE 23 CM (9 INCH) CAKE
1kg mixed dried fruit (220g sultanas, 220g raisins, 500g currants, 60g mixed peel)
8 tablespoons brandy
60g glacé cherries, quartered g unsalted butter, softened
275 g brown sugar
5 large eggs
275 g plain flour
30 g ground almonds
30 g flakes almonds
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon mixed spices
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
275 g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of black treakce

FOR THE 15 CM (6 INCH) CAKE
500 g mixed dried fruit (100g sultanas, 100g raisins, 260g currants, 40g mixed peel)
5 tablespoons brandy
40g glacé cherries, quartered g unsalted butter, softened
110 g brown sugar
2 large eggs
110 g plain flour
20 g ground almonds
20 g flakes almonds
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon mixed spices
Zest of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 orange
Juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 orange
110 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon (rounded)

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS
Begin by preheating your oven to 140°C (284°F). Prepare your cake tin by lining it with baking paper as illustrated in the video, ensuring it’s well covered.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This process is crucial for incorporating air into the batter, giving it a lovely rise.

Beat in the eggs ensuring each egg is fully mixed before adding the next. If the mixture looks a bit curdled, don't worry; it will come together when you add the dry ingredients.
In another bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and mixed spice. Gradually fold this mixture into the wet ingredients, taking care not to overmix.

Gently fold in the soaked dried fruits, nuts, cherries, and citrus zests, ensuring everything is well distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 4 hours. To avoid over-browning, you can cover the cake loosely with baking paper.

Once baked, insert a skewer into the center; it should come out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 30 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.

Feed the cake with brandy as shown in the video, ideally once a week, until a couple of weeks before Christmas where I will show you how to cover it with Marzipan and Icing.

In the meantime please feel free to drop me a note if you need any help. Arrivederci a Presto.

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