Lindas Christmas Cake Food

TRADITIONAL CANADIAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Place all fruit in large bowl; add bourbon and soak for 2-4 hours
• Preheat oven to 300°F and grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans 2 1/2 inches deep or five 5 3/4 x 3 pans 2 inches deep
• Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter it (the original recipe was waxed paper)
• Cream together butter and brown sugar; beat in the eggs.
• Sift all dry ingredients; beat into butter mixture
• Add molasses and brewed black coffee or espresso to mixture; combine well
• Fold in the nuts and bourbon soaked in fruit
• Carefully pack the batter into the prepared pans almost to the top (I used an offset spatula to finish the tops of each cake)
• Place pans on centre rack of oven in a bain marie (place pans in a larger pan and pour hot water halfway up the sides); bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until toothpick comes out clean (the small cakes took 50 minutes, so watch carefully after 45 minutes)
• If the tops brown too quickly, place foil over the top
• Cool 30 minutes, then remove and set on wire rack
• Wrap carefully in a triple layer of cheesecloth that has been soaked in bourbon
• Seal tightly in aluminum foil and store in a cool dry place until the holiday season
• Once a week, remove foil, and brush additional bourbon onto the cheese cloth
• The longer it is stored, the more times it is dowsed, the more pungent and flavourful it becomes.

GRANDMA'S CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, raisins, water and butter. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add raisin mixture; beat until blended. Fold in pecans.
• Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° until cake springs back when lightly touched, 45-55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For sauce, in a large saucepan, bring cream to a boil; stir in butter and sugar until smooth. Reduce heat; stir a small amount of hot liquid into egg yolks. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in brandy. Serve warm with cake.

MAKE & MATURE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put 1kg mixed dried fruit, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 150ml brandy or other alcohol, 250g softened butter and 200g light, soft brown sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat.
• Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside - tie with string to secure.
• Add 175g plain flour, 100g ground almonds, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 100g flaked almonds, 4 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
• Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.
• Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
• To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in cling film. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it.
• Don't feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.

GRANDMA'S CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, raisins, water and butter. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool., In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add raisin mixture; beat until blended. Fold in pecans. , Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° until cake springs back when lightly touched, 45-55 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For sauce, in a large saucepan, bring cream to a boil; stir in butter and sugar until smooth. Reduce heat; stir a small amount of hot liquid into egg yolks. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in brandy. Serve warm with cake.

LINDA'S CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Beat eggs.
• Mix with oil and sugar.
• Combine dry ingredients, then mix together.
• Grease pan and pour batter into it.
• Bake at 350 for 1 hours.
• or until done.
• Let cake cool.
• Frosting: Combine first 5 ingredients, and mix until smooth.
• Frost cake, sprinkle pecans on top, and put in refrigerator to chill before eating.

LINDA'S AUSSIE CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Combine prunes, sultanas and currants in a bowl, mix in sherry and brandy, cover and stand overnight.
• Grease a deep 23cm round cake pan, line with 3 layers of paper.
• Cream butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until combined.
• Add eggs quickly, one at a time, beat only until combined between each addition.
• Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in combined coffee and water and jam and the sifted dry ingredients in two lots.
• Drain prune mixture (reserve liquid).
• Add prune mixture, cherries, dates, peel and nuts to cake mixture.
• Spread cake mixture into prepared pan.
• Bake in slow oven (150C / 300F) for about 2 hours.
• Brush reserved liquid over hot cake.
• Cool in pan.
• Ice with Royal Icing (the packet kind is find) if you wish.