Fig & Honey Christmas Cake
We love Christmas cake and find using heather honey in Christmas cake adds a depth of flavour. Personally I then like to eat it with a big lump of blue cheese.
Prep: 30 min Serves: 8 - 10 people
Cooking time: 3hrs 30min
INGREDIENTS
- 750g mixed dried fruit
- 100g blanched whole almond, roughly chopped
- 100g chopped peel
- 200g dried fig, roughly chopped
- 100g glacé cherry, well rinsed and quartered
- 300g plain flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated nutmeg
- zest 1 lemon
- 250g lightly salted butter
- 250g light muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp extracted honey, we recommend our Shropshire Ling Heather Honey
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 4 large egg
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp brandy, plus extra to feed
METHOD
1. Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin first with a double layer of brown paper, then with a double layer of baking parchment. In a large bowl, mix the fruit, almonds, peel, figs and cherries. Turn well and add the flour, spices and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar thoroughly, then add the vanilla extract, honey and treacle. Still beating, incorporate the eggs, then stir in the fruit and flour mixture. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk and stir in thoroughly. Add the brandy by the spoonful, until you have a soft dropping consistency.
2. Turn the batter into the cake tin and make a dip in the middle using the back of a spoon. Bake for 3½ hrs, then insert a skewer – if it comes out clean, it’s ready. If there is any cake mix on the skewer, give it 10 mins more and test again. When it’s done, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in its tin. The next day, remove from the tin, wrap in fresh greaseproof paper, then put it into an airtight tin or wrap tightly in foil. Unwrap and sprinkle it occasionally with more brandy.
Originally by James Martin for the good old BBC