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CHRISTMAS RECIPES |
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| My Recipe for Rich Fruit Cake |
550gm dried mixed fruit
50gm chopped almonds
50gm glace cherries
1 apple, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon black treacle
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
Grated rind from 1 orange |
150gm butter
150gm soft brown sugar
3 eggs
200gm plain flour
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon mixed spice
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METHOD
- Mix brandy, black treacle, marmalade, apple, orange juice, orange rind, almonds and dried fruit. Allow to stand for 1-2 hours.
- Cream together the butter and sugar.
- Seive the flour with the salt and spices.
- Add eggs, one at a time to the creamed mixture, adding a spoonfull of flour with each egg to help prevent separation.
- Wash the cherries in hot water, dry and chop. Toss the cherries in the flour and fold into the creamed mixture.
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BAKING
- Cover with a thick wad of clean brown paper and bake at 150ºC for 1½ hours.
- Remove paper and continue cooking at 140ºC until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
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| Grandma Keenans Recipe for Rich Fruit Cake |
1¾lb dried mixed fruit
1 teaspoon almond essence
4oz cherries
Juice from ½ orange
8oz butter
1 teaspoon rum |
8oz soft brown sugar
Grated rind from 1 orange
12oz plain flour
6 eggs
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground mace or cinnamon |
METHOD
- Mix rum, orange juice, orange rind, almond essence and mixed fruit together. Allow to stand for 1-2 hours.
- Cream together the butter and soft brown sugar. Add beaten eggs one at a time adding a spoon of the flour with each one to help prevent separation.
- Sieve together the remaining flour, salt and spices.
- Wash the cherries in hot water and dry. Toss them in the flour and then fold into the creamed mixture.
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BAKING
- Cover with a thick wad of clean brown paper and bake at 150ºC for 1½ hours.
- Remove paper and continue cooking at 140ºC until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
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ALTERNATIVES
- 2oz of the flour may be replaced with 2oz ground almonds.
- If you only have 4 eggs, 2 may be replaced with a mixture of ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda mixed with 1 teaspoon vinegar and used while still frothy.
- You can reduce the fruit and spices for a plainer cake. Also for a plainer cake, self raising flour may be used.
- The rum may be replaced by brandy.
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| Egg Yolk Sponge |
3½oz caster sugar
4 egg yolks |
3½oz plain flour, sifted
2 tablespoons cold water |
METHOD
- Grease 2 sandwich tins and line the bottom with silicon paper.
- Whip yolks and water together until well blended.
- Add sugar, whip until frothy and at least double the size.
- Fold in the flour.
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BAKING
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes at gas regulo 4, until spongy to the touch.
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| Black Beer Cake |
125gm butter
300gm dried mixed fruit
125gm sugar
½cup stout |
1 beaten egg
50gm ground almonds
150gm self raising flour
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METHOD
- Grease a 7-inch cake tin and line the bottom with silicon paper.
- Put fruit, sugar, butter and stout into a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients, stir well.
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BAKING
- Bake for approximately 2½ hours at gas regulo 1 or 140ºC, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
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| Pudding |
650gm dried mixed fruit
50gm ground almonds
200gm suet
100gm white breadcrumbs
150ml stout
Wine glass of brandy |
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Grated rind from 1 lemon
100gm plain flour
200gm soft brown sugar
3 eggs
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METHOD
- Mix all the ingredients together. Get all family members to help with the stirring, remembering to make a wish!
- Fill pudding basins ¾ full. Cover with greaseproof paper, and tie with a pudding cloth or foil.
- Boil or steam for 5-6 hours, or 2 hours using a pressure cooker. Allow to cool. Store in a dry, cool place.
- When required reboil for a further 1½ hours at least.
- This mixture will make 3 puddings in size 42 Mason Cash bowls.
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| Candied Fruit |
| Write down (or print) the information below indicating which steps to follow on each day! |
DAY ONE :
- Prepare the fruit, scrub citrus fruit and slice thinly.
- Slice pineapple, cut away the skin and cut out the core with a small biscuit cutter.
- Peel apples and pears (slice apples and halve pears), and remove the cores.
- Weigh the prepared fruit and place in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until just tender.
- Drain and arrange on a cooling rack.
- Measure the cooking liquid, see below:
| Weight of Fruit (pounds) | ½ | 1 | 2 |
| Amount of Liquid Needed (pints) | ¼ | ½ | 1 |
- Transfer the measured liquid to a saucepan and add the appropriate amount of sugar:
| Weight of Fruit (pounds) | ½ | 1 | 2 |
| Sugar to be added on Day 1 (ounces) | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Sugar to be added on Days 2, 3 & 4 (ounces) | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Sugar to be added on Days 6 & 8 (ounces) | 1½ | 3 | 6 |
- Heat gently until sugar has dissolved and then bring to a rolling boil.
- Transfer the fruit to a bowl and pour the boiling syrup over it.
- Cover with a plate so that the fruit is completely submerged.
- Leave for 24 hours.
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DAY TWO :
- Drain syrup into a saucepan, add sugar for day 2.
- Heat gently until sugar has dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and pour back over the fruit in the bowl.
- Leave for 24 hours.
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DAY THREE :
- Drain syrup into a saucepan, add sugar for day 3.
- Heat gently until sugar has dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and pour back over the fruit in the bowl.
- Leave for 24 hours.
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DAY FOUR :
- Drain syrup into a saucepan, add sugar for day 4.
- Heat gently until sugar has dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and pour back over the fruit in the bowl.
- Leave for 48 hours.
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DAY SIX :
- Drain syrup into a saucepan, add sugar for day 6.
- Heat gently until sugar has dissolved.
- Add fruit to saucepan and boil for 4 minutes.
- Transfer back to the bowl.
- Leave for 48 hours.
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DAY EIGHT :
- Drain syrup into a saucepan, add sugar for day 6.
- Heat gently until sugar has dissolved.
- Add fruit to saucepan and boil for 4 minutes.
- Transfer back to the bowl.
- Leave for 96 hours.
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DAY TWELVE :
- Lift the fruit out of the syrup and arrange carefully on a cooling rack to drain.
- Place rack in the base of a very cool oven Gas ¼ or 50ºC, or leave in a warm airing cupboard till it no longer feels sticky.
- Dip fruit into boiling water and then roll each piece of fruit in caster sugar.
- Store in boxes, interleaving layers with waxed paper.
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| Icing |
1 pound Icing Sugar
1 Egg White |
2oz Liquid Glucose
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METHOD
- Lightly warm the glucose.
- Knead the ingredients together. Roll out on a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour.
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| Icing Without Icing Sugar |
1 Egg White
6oz Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Water |
Few grains of Salt
Eighth of a Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
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METHOD
- Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl over a pan of boiling water.
- Beat with a whisk until the mixture stands up in peaks.
- Flavour and colour it as you like.
- Go on beating until it is thick enough to spread and do this at once before it hardens.
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| Marzipan |
¼ pound Ground Almonds
¼ pound Icing Sugar |
1 Egg White
Small pinch of salt |
METHOD
- Knead ingredients together, then roll out on icing sugar.
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| Marzipan Without Almonds - Recipe 1 |
2oz Margarine
4oz Granulated Sugar
4oz Semolina |
2 Tablespoons Water
2 Teaspoons Almond Essence
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METHOD
- Melt the margarine (don't let it brown) add semolina, and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar, water and essence. Mix well.
- Cool a little and roll out on a floured or sugared board.
- Use in the usual way.
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| Marzipan Without Almonds - Recipe 2 |
2oz Margarine
4oz Granulated Sugar
4oz Soya Flour |
2 Tablespoons Water
2 Teaspoons Almond Essence
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METHOD
- Melt the margarine (don't let it brown) stir in the sugar, water and essence.
- Cook on the lowest heat for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix in the soya flour.
- Turn out and knead for at least 2 minutes.
- Use in the usual way.
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I apologise that some recipes use imperial measurements, while others are metric.
If you have difficulty converting one to another, please try the adjacent link --> |
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