Ever since I first started making my own Christmas cakes a few years ago, I’ve been using spiced rum instead of the traditional brandy. Unlike most people, I also don’t ‘feed’ my Christmas cake with additional alcohol after it’s been baked, as I just don’t think it’s necessary. This way you don’t have to make it months in advance either 🙂 So here is the recipe for my Spiced Rum Christmas Cake.
Spiced Rum Christmas Cake Recipe
2017-10-24 20:21:36
Cook Time
3 hr
Ingredients
- For the cake
- 1kg Good Quality Dried Mixed Fruit (Sultanas, Currants, Raisins) with Peel
- 50g Glace Cherries (Quartered)
- 200ml Spiced Rum (I use Bacardi Oakheart)
- 1tsp Vanilla Extract
- 225g Butter (Softened)
- 225g Plain Flour (I use Homepride)
- 1tsp Baking Powder
- 2tsp Ground Mixed Spice
- 225g Soft Brown Sugar
- 2tbsp Black Treacle
- 4x Eggs
- 1x Orange (Juice & Zest)
- 100g Ground Almonds
- 100g Flaked Almonds
- To cover
- 4tbsp Smooth Apricot Jam / Glaze
- 500g Marzipan
- 1kg Sugarpaste
Instructions
- 2-3 days before you intend to make the cake, place the dried mixed fruit & peel in a bowl with the rum and stir it until all the fruit is well covered. Cover the bowl with clingfilm or foil and leave to soak, stirring again each day.
- Line an 8” round tin with a double thickness of baking paper and preheat the oven to 300° F / 150° C / 130° Fan / Gas 2.
- Place the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, & ground almonds into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.
- Then add the soaked mixed fruit (and any rum left in the bowl), cherries & flaked almonds to the flour mixture and mix together.
- In a separate bowl cream together the butter & sugar then stir in the treacle.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, orange juice & zest and beat together until smooth.
- Finally add the wet mixture to the flour and fruit mixture and mix together until completely combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin and flatten out with the back of the spoon.
- Tap the tin on the work surface a few times to remove any air bubbles and then place in the oven and bake for around 2.45-3hrs or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- When baked leave the cake to cool in the tin for an hour before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely, leaving a layer of the baking paper still attached.
- When completely cool, heat the apricot jam / glaze and brush over the cake before covering with the marzipan and sugarpaste. Always try and cover as soon as possible to stop the cake from drying out.
Sarah Sibley http://www.sarahsibley.com/
