The recipe is actually available online from Delia Smith's website as The Classic Christmas Cake.
Liquor:
- 350 ml bottle of "French Brandy" from Waitrose
I've actually made this cake once before, and was a roaring success with the less than five people who tried it, in my presence, while I was holding a knife (strictly for cutting the cake, of course.) What I like about it is that it's rather moist, but made even more moist by generous lashing of brandy both before and after baking.
I "fed" it armagnac for about a month before my wife iced it, and it turned out great. I made a few changes to Delia's recipe, and I've made a few changes since, so it remains to be seen whether or not this one works out better than, or at least as good as, the last one.
I've made changes to the dried fruit components and their relative amounts in both recipes, and I've gone for cheap brandy this year, rather than armagnac like last year. I felt that the subtlety of the armagnac was overwhelmed by the rich fruit cake last year, but I think I may have erred to far in the "BRANDEHH!" direction. Last year's cake was delightfully tipsy, but not especially brandy-flavoured, whereas I fear the balance may be a little off this year. Oh well, time will tell.
The first thing I should cover is what I've done to the relative fruit portions. Currants are fiddly. Last year, I couldn't get the huge numbers demanded by the recipe (450g!) and had to individually pick out a consolation-prize-worths from a mixed vine fruit bag, so substituted at least some of the remaining bulk with dried and sweetened cranberries. At the time, and after tasty the results, I thought it was an inspired idea. Others trying the cake agreed. Gesticulating with sharpened cutlery to make your point helps.
So, let's go over the exact proportions:
| Ingredient | Delia | Me 2008 | Me 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|
| currants | 450g | 100g | 170g |
| sultanas | 175g | 220g | 150g |
| raisins | 175g | 300g | 320g |
| cranberries | 0g | 170g | 160g |
In the end, my 2009 proportions were dictated simply by the relative amounts of currants, raisins and sultanas in a 500g bag of vine fruit and mixed candied peel. At 34% currants, 29% sultanas and 24% raisins, it was well short on raisins, so I made up the difference with an extra 200g of those.
The important thing to remember, when trying to make this dish on a weekend (and why I failed to make it last weekend) is that the dried fruit components need to steep in brandy for at least 12 hours before you make the cake. Delia recommends three tablespoons of brandy, but she's obviously a little bit uptight. Double it. Also, I put the chopped glace cherries in with the dried fruit to steep. It's not explicitly suggested in the recipe, but it makes sense. Similarly, the candied peel goes in because it's in the same bag as the mixed vine fruits, and I can't be arsed to pick them out.
The other thing to note is that it takes a long time to bake. Count on 4.5-5 hours. In my fan-assisted oven, it took four. Although I may have overcooked it. Which is why I'll need to soften it with whisky, repeatedly.
Otherwise, it's a pretty straightforward operation, following her instructions almost to the letter. Check you have all the ingredients before you start. Then check again. You'll need a real 20 cm cake tin too. I greased both it and the baking parchment before-hand, but this probably isn't strictly necessary. It doesn't hurt though.
You've also got to be really careful spooning the egg into the sugar and butter mixture. Mine curdled. I let it rest a bit and whisked the hell out of again, and it seemed to cream up nicely. Also, folding the aerated flour into the mix. What the hell is folding I hear you ask? Wonder no longer. Folding in the brandied fruit, though, is a b*tch. The cake seemed to rise, so I'm happy.
Some notes on nuts and zests: first off, choose only firm, fresh citrus fruit. If the lemon feels like a flabby bum, it will be hard to get any zest going. Also, almonds are divisive. Some people don't like the texture. I compromise and blend them to a fine powder. At least they're there in spirit. Or is it spirits?
Also, do cover the cake with a double layer of greased baking parchment. I imagine Delia intends that this cover the top of the baking tin (with a hole to allow some steam to escape), but I have used the "contact" method shown below both times. The top layer did get blown off by the fan though.
Bake, cool, and then feed with a few teaspoons of brandy on both sides (I only fed one side in 2008, as I left it in its baking parchment for a month). Then wrap in two layers of baking parchment, put in an airtight container, and feed it as much as you think it'll stand for a month or two.
Finally, hand it over to the wife to make it pretty (to be done.)
Well, that's it. I'll let you know how it tastes in December!
Next week: Chicken pie using the stock made in week one.
P.S. Opposite-boiling an egg. How cool is that?
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