How to make Christmas cake and pudding at home

Hyderabad: As the countdown for Christmas begins, the best bakers are already soaking fruit and preparing cakes so that the flavour seeps in to elevate cakes to the next level of deliciousness.

It is traditional to make Christmas cakes in November so you can ‘feed’ it with sherry, brandy, or bourbon every week until the week before Christmas, when you start icing the cake. You can cover it with marzipan, leave it to dry, and then ice it with Royal Icing, which is just lemon juice, icing sugar, and egg white, although professional bakers add a few drops of glycerin to get the perfectly smooth finish. Almond Icing or Marzipan is made of ground almonds, sugar, essence, and eggs. This can be rolled out like dough, draped over the cake, or it can be cut, shaped, and molded to make flowers and animal shapes.

X’mas Pudding

Another old Christmas tradition is making the X’mas pudding. It started centuries ago by being called Christmas Porridge, but it went on to evolve into a rich and delicious dessert after dry fruits, mixed spice, breadcrumbs, flour, treacle, and suet (sometimes even apple and carrot) were added, and this dish was tied in cloth and boiled for 4 to 5 hours. It was left to keep until X’mas, where it would again be steamed for 2 hours or flambéed: brandy poured on it and the dessert ignited at the dinner table for better effect. This is served with custard sauce or brandied butter.

Here are two recipes for Christmas cake and for Almond Icing, as well as Royal Icing. The first cake recipe can be made in advance, and the other can be served immediately.

X’MAS CAKE RECIPE 1 (to be made at least a month in advance)

Ingredients

250 grams plain flour

5 eggs, beaten

250g brown sugar

250g butter

200ml brandy

Grated zest of 1 lemon (grate the rind)

Grated zest of 1 orange (grate the peel)

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon soda bi-carb

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

100g almonds, chopped

100g red glace cherries, chopped

100g candied peel, finely chopped

250g sultanas

250g raisins

250g currants (remove seeds and stalks, if any)

A pinch of salt

Method

Mix all the fruits, almonds, mixed and other spices, vanilla, orange, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Pour in the brandy. Cover with cling film and leave overnight so that the fruits can absorb most of the brandy.

The next day, preheat the oven to 160°C. Line the base and sides of the cake tin with buttered baking paper, which should be 1 inch more than the side of the tin. Wrap a strip of brown paper around the tin and tie with a string.

Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and creamy using an electric beater.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour, soda, bicarb, and salt. Add the butter mixture to the soaked fruit and stir until thoroughly combined.

Spoon into the cake tin and smooth the surface with wet fingers. Bake for 40 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 150°C and cook for another 3 hours.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. Wrap in foil and store this in an airtight container until Christmas.

Feeding the cake

Once a week, prick the top and sides of the cake with a toothpick and brush a few teaspoons of brandy or sherry on the cake. This is called feeding the cake. Do not feed the cake for a week before icing it, first with marzipan and then with royal icing. You can choose to have only one icing or serve this cake plain.

X’MAS CAKE RECIPE 2

Ingredients

300 grams plain flour

a pinch of salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

300 grams mixed dry fruit of your choice: chopped apricots, dates, prunes, figs, or candied fruit peel.

200 grams of glace cherries

200 grams of black currants

300 grams sultanas or raisins

100 grams chopped almonds

200 grams softened butter

200 grams of brown sugar

5 beaten eggs

1 lime (juice and grated rind)

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons brandy

A spoon of instant coffee powder dissolved in ¼ cup warm water (or ¼ cup apple juice).

Method

Sift the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the baking powder, cocoa, cinnamon, and mixed spice. Add the dried fruit/peel, currants, sultanas/raisins, glace cherries, and nuts.

In another mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time. Fold in half the flour & fruit mixture a bit at a time. Mix in the lemon rind and juice, golden syrup, and brandy. Stir all together until well-mixed. Add coffee decoction/apple juice. Spoon the mixture into a deep tin (about 8 inches or 10 inches round or square) which has been double-lined with well-greased greaseproof paper or brown paper. Make a slight indentation in the centre of the mixture, as this portion will rise first when the cake is baked.

Preheat the oven. Bake in an oven (150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2) for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 140°F/275°C/Gas mark 1) and continue baking for a further 3 to 3½ hours. Test if the cake is cooked by gently inserting a thin skewer in the centre- if it comes out clean, then it is cooked.

Cover the top of the cake with greaseproof paper if it becomes too brown during baking.

When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin before turning out onto a wire tray. Carefully peel off the paper. Store in an airtight container after the cake has cooled completely. You can serve this cake immediately.

Feed the cake as in recipe 1 if you like your cake extra rich and are storing it for use later. Ice this cake if you like, first with marzipan/ almond icing and then with Royal Icing, or just serve it with just one icing of your choice, or even without either icing.

ALMOND ICING/MARZIPAN RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 eggs

orange flower water (or rose water) to mix

Almond icing almond essence

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 cup caster (fine) sugar

2 cups ground almonds

Apricot jam or any fruit jam to stick the icing on the cake.

Method:

Whisk the eggs, almond essence, and orange flower or rose water. Add the caster sugar. Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Make this into a paste by stirring in the icing sugar and almonds. The paste should end up as pliable dough, which you can knead and roll out with a rolling pin. Use extra egg white or icing sugar to alter the consistency if necessary. Knead well. Wrap in grease-proof paper and store in a box in the fridge until needed.

To cover the cake, roll the paste with a rolling pin and dust with a little icing sugar. Cut out a long, thin strip to cover around the cake, and use a little warmed apricot jam or any fruit jam to stick it to the cake.

Repeat the process with a circle or square on the top of the cake and seal this firmly to the almond icing on the sides. Smooth the sides so there are no wrinkles or air bubbles. Leave the cake with almond icing to dry in a cool place for at least two days before icing with royal icing on top.

ROYAL ICING RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 egg whites

2 teaspoons lime juice

300 grams (3 cups) icing sugar, sifted.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lime juice. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. Use this icing immediately or transfer to an airtight container, as Royal Icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.