"Cheap but Rich" Christmas Cake
A recipe from the 1940's for decadent Christmas Cake on a tighter budget.
Servings: 60 servings
Calories: 97kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (250 grams)
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 ½ cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- ¼ cup plain flour
(extra for flouring fruit)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 4 eggs
- 680 grams mixed fruit
- 100 grams glace cherries, halved
- ¼ cup blanched almonds, chopped
- 1 cup browning
- ¼ cup rum, brandy or whisky (optional - not included in original recipe)
Browning
- ½ cup caster sugar
- boiling water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to slow (155 degrees celsius, fan-forced).
- Prepare a round cake tin (approx 25cm in diameter) by greasing and double lining with baking paper.
- To make browning, heat the sugar over medium heat until it melts and turns a dark brown colour. Carefully add boiling water (take care as sugar mixture will be extremely hot) and mix together until you have one cup of liquid.
- Cream butter and sugar on med-high speed in a stand mixer.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Sift flour, baking powder and mixed spice. Fold into mixture gradually and alternately with the browning.
- Add extra flour to fruit, using your hands to mix and coat the fruit in flour.
- Add fruit, cherries and almonds to the mixture and stir to combine.
- Bake in a slow oven for an hour and a half or until a dark golden brown colour and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and, if desired, spoon the alcohol over the top of the cake.
- Cover with foil and wrap in a clean tea towel. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg