Golden Jewelled Christmas Cake Recipes

GOLDEN FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Place raisins in a large bowl; cover with boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside. , In another large bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, salt and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in the walnuts, pineapple, cherries, coconut and raisins. , Spoon into nine greased 5-3/4x3x2-in. loaf pans. Bake at 300° for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

JEWELLED FRUIT, NUT & SEED CAKE

Steps:

• Make the Hot toddy cake (see link, right) in a loose-bottom tin, holding back about 2 tbsp of the mix for later. While it bakes, bake the fruit and nut topping. Melt the butter and golden syrup together, then toss with the nuts, dried fruit and seeds. Set aside; the butter mix will start to cool and thicken.
• Take the cake out of the oven 30 mins before the end of cooking, then gently spread over the remaining cake mix with the back of a spoon. The cake will still be quite soft but will take the weight, don't worry about it sinking. Scatter the fruit and nut mix over the top in an even layer. Bake for the remaining 30 mins until the cake is cooked and the nuts golden. Test for doneness by poking a skewer through the topping and into the cake. If it's underdone, but the nuts are golden, just cover with foil and give it another 10 mins; then test again.
• Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin, so that the nutty topping firms up. Loosen any obviously sticky edges, then push the cake out of the tin from the bottom. Transfer to a cake board or plate and fix the ribbon around the base before serving. Can be kept in an airtight tin for up to a week.

JEWELED FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Line four greased and floured 5-3/4x3x2-in. loaf pans with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside., In a large bowl, combine dates, nuts, cherries and coconut. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir into fruit mixture until well coated., In a small bowl, beat eggs and vanilla until foamy. Fold into fruit mixture and mix well. Pour into prepared pans., Bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool, dry place. Cut with a serrated knife.

GOLDEN JEWELLED CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Line a 20cm greased cake tin with a double layer of baking paper. Preheat oven to 150c.
• Chop apricots, quarter cherries, chop candied peel.Mix together with the brandy.
• In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar using a hand held mixer, or a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.
• Beat eggs in a jug add to the creamed mixture a little at a time , beating well after each addition. Don't worry if it curdles, the cake wont be affected.
• Add the zests and juice, then the soaked fruit and liquid. Chop nuts then stir in .
• Set a sieve over the bowl , tip flour, cinnamon and ginger and sift into bowl.
• Tip in the ground almonds, then fold everything in using a large spoon.There should be no trace of flour.
• Spoon cake mix into the prepared tin, press down lightly and smooth. Bake 45minutes- 1 hour, reduce heat to 120C and bake a further 1-2 hours until golden brown and firm to the touch and has stopped making a hissing sound ( singing). A skewer should come out clean.
• Wrap in baking paper and foil for up to 3 months or freeze for 1 year.
• Feeding the cake: make several holes in it and spoon 2 tbsp of brandy at weekly intervals until ready to ice.

GOLD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) cake pans with shortening and set aside.
• Cream together the shortening and the sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly alternate adding the egg yolks and milk with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Add the vanilla and mix well.
• Pour into the prepared pans, about 550 grams of batter for each cake. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

PURE GOLD CHRISTMAS DRIP CAKE

Steps:

• First, make the sponges. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of three 20cm cake tins with baking parchment - if your cake tins are quite shallow, line the sides to a depth of at least 5cm.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, mixed spice and salt in a bowl.
• Whisk the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract and 75ml water with the eggs until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until well combined. Scoop about a third of the cake mixture into a tin. If using, mix the food colouring into the remaining batter and divide this between the other tins. Bake for 25-30 mins, or until the cakes have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment and cool. The sponges will keep, wrapped tightly in cling film, for three days, or wrap and freeze for up to two months.
• To make the icing, beat the butter with half the icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and the cream cheese, and beat again until combined - don't overmix or the icing may become runny.
• Next, assemble the cake. Put one of the red sponges on a cake stand or cake board, sticking it down with a small blob of icing. Sandwich with the gold sponge, being generous with the icing. Top with more icing and the final red sponge, flat-side up. When assembled, use a palette knife to cover the entire cake with a thin layer of the icing, filling any gaps between sponges, but don't worry about completely covering the sponges at this stage. This is called a crumb coat and ensures that your final layer is crumb-free. Make space in the fridge and chill for 30 mins to allow the icing to firm up.
• Once the crumb coat is chilled, use the remaining icing to completely cover the cake. This is easiest if you pile the icing on top of the cake, then use a palette knife to ease it over the edge and down the sides. You can make it as smooth or as rough as you like. Chill for another 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, for the chocolate drip, melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of lightly simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts. Pour into a disposable piping bag and set aside to firm up a little - you want it to be pourable but not too runny.
• Remove the cake from the fridge. If you like, you can use an edible gold spray to cover the surface in a thin layer of shimmer. When the white chocolate is the correct consistency, snip off the end of the piping bag and pipe drizzles down the side of the cake. Fill in the top with the remaining chocolate. Top with our gingerbread star tree, or your choice of decorations.