Country Christmas Cake
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pound mixed fruit (raisins, prunes, dates, dried figs, dried
- apricots, peaches, currents), chopped finely
- 2 ounce candied peel, chopped
- 2 ounce candied cherries, chopped
- 3 ounce candied ginger, chopped
- grated zests of 1 lemon
- grated zests of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 1 cup of stewed apples or applesauce
- 1/4 sweet sherry
- 3 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 pound butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspooons vanilla
- brandy or whiskey
Instructions
Combine mixed fruit, candied peel, cherries, ginger, zests, marmalade, jam, apples and sherry. Cover and leave overnite. The next day sift together flour and ground cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, nutmeg, ground cloves and allspice. Cream butter with brown sugar until fluffy and beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Mix the fruit and flour alternately into the butter mixture. Bake in your choice of pan, the recipe calls for springform, at 325 F for 2 hours, and then at 300 F for another 2 hours. I baked mine only 2 hours at 325 F and 45 mins more at 300 F in a bundt pan, and it was done. Let cool in pan. Prick all over and pour over brandy or whiskey. I used brandy. The recipe call for only 1 tablespoon. I poured over about a 3/4 cup total over the course of a month! Let sit in an airtight container for at least a month.