It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas ... Can't wait!
A few days ago, I posted about Nigel Slater's Christmas pudding. Now, being a huge fan of Nigel, I also decided to go with his Christmas cake recipe out of The Kitchen Diaries (which you can also find online here).
I was a little dubious about this recipe, because instead of soaking the fruit before baking, you just "feed" the cake with brandy once a week or so after it has been made. However, I needn't have worried - 6 weeks on from baking, and this cake tastes glorious - rich, moist and fruity, and just enough booze to give it a kick, but not as much as some. I have to say that I probably prefer a boozier cake, but you could always soak the fruit for this recipe first as well as feeding the cake.
Just like Nigel's Christmas pudding, this cake is a light fruit cake, but I kind of liked this aspect, because it was not as dense and heavy as some others - or not what my mother would refer to as "scenty".
For a peek inside the pudding and the cake, here you go:
Pudding is on the left, cake is on the right. I can confirm that the pudding was also moist and fruity - again, I probably like mine a little boozier, but this is very good as is, and would be perfect heated with custard or icecream.
Hope your holiday preparations are coming along well.
19 comments:
Sounds like an interesting technique, but still with pleasing results! I love your Christmas fairy that you've crowned the cake with too.
Cakelaw I think your Christmas cake look delicious and amazing! I love it! gloria
I have never heard of "feeding the cake" but this looks delicious!I agree with soaking the fruits first, or maybe instead of feeding the cake, we could drown the whole cake in? LOL
Yummy! I'm with you on the boozy part! I've got that book on my reading list, but haven't gotten to it yet.
they look fantastic but why are you already eating them - have you already started the christmas celebrations or were they too good to leave til 25th :-)
Hi Johanna, I go home to my mother fro Xmas, and she has her own cake and pudding, so I just cut mine up and give them to friends as a Christmas gift with cookies etc.
I like anything boozey! Just kidding! Your pudding looks delicious!
hi. I just wanted to say yay! for finally adding a nice pic that compliments your cake. i've been reading your blog for quite a while now and always felt slightly disappointed that your pictures were so dark especially after you put so much effort into the recipes. Love how gorgeous the cake looks in the first pic especially with the flower.
Thanks Anon. I have learned that natural light is my best friend if I can get it. Sadly, I often finish baking at night and I am too lazy and cranky by then to attempt some decent lighting, although I know that my pictures can be a little on the crappy side. I appreciate the feedback, and cheers for reading my blog.
That method of feeding the pudding actually sounds like fun-like feeding or watering a plant and feeling it come alive! :D
I make Christmas cake for over thirty years and it's almost similar to mine. I also add some molasses as well. I am now in the process of adding the almond paste today.
Christmas has gone from being "ages away" to suddenly very near - not sure what happened to the inbetween time!
Your cake looks luscious - a perfect way to indulge in a festive manner!
They're quite similar looking aren't they! I must say I prefer my pudding darker, but this does look delicious. I have all my pudding ingredients staring at me in the kitchen... just need to find time to make it! Time is ticking!!
Yes, it is beginning to look like Christmas isn't it? I put my tree up today and I'm starting to get excited!!
Your Christmas cake looks fabulous! I plan to make my first ever fruit christmas cake this year... I think I'll be saving this recipe :)
I love his cooking and this cake looks absloutley yummm.
I have this page in Kitchen Diaries earmarked, so I'm glad to hear you liked it. Looks great!
I have Nigel's Kitchen Diaries and am thinking of making that Christmas cake of his but I hate marzipan which he uses as a sort of icing for the cake.
I note that you haven't iced your cake at all. I was wondering if you could suggest some other kind of covering for the cake as I am not a big cake baker but I know my family would love it to have some sort of icing or cream mixture on top but I don't know which flavours would go best with the cake? Many thanks!
Janka, you can use rolled fondant instead of marzipan, as with traditional fruit cakes. I also found a creme fraiche based frosting for fruit cakes on Martha Stewart.com:
http://www.marthastewart.com/318824/layered-fruitcake-with-creme-fraiche-fro
Janka
Here is also a recipe for apricot butter icing:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1837666/fruitcake-with-apricot-butter-icing
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