Bake at Home: Grandma Charlesworth's Christmas Cake

Grandma Charlesworth's Christmas Cake

Can Be Made: 2 to 3 months in advance

Make in: 22cm square cake tin, or 24cm round cake tin (or mini cakes see below*)

Ingredients

Method:

Chop glacé ginger into small pieces. Halve the glacé cherries and set aside a third for decorating if desired. Combine all fruit and brandy/rum in a bowl, mix well, cover, and soak for at least 6 hours (or overnight for best flavour).

Optional: Heat soaked fruit gently in a saucepan until it just boils, stirring constantly, then cool completely—this gives a richer cake.

Cream butter and both sugars in a large bowl, then beat in marmalade and eggs. Stir in the slivered almonds and almond meal. Sift flours, spices, and nutmeg together, then fold half into the wet mixture. Add soaked fruit, remaining dry ingredients, and grated apple. Mix gently.

Grease and double-line your tin with baking paper, allowing it to rise 5cm above the rim. Pour in the mixture and decorate the top with blanched almonds and reserved cherries. Bake at 150°C for 3–4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil during baking if over-browning.

Cool completely in the tin. Leave the lining paper on, wrap in foil, and seal in a freezer bag. Store in a cool place.

Helpful Hint:

Short on time? Soak fruit for 1 hour only. After baking and cooling, poke fine holes into the cake and brush with 1–2 tbsp brandy for added flavour.

*Mini cakes

This recipe makes 36 muffin sized cakes or 2 x 19cm cakes.
19cm Cake: Bake at 130°C for 2 hrs, cover with foil, bake 1.5 hrs (total: 3.5 hrs).
Cupcakes: Bake at 160°C for 30 mins, cover for 20 mins, bake uncovered for 10 mins. (total: 1 hr)