Time for Christmas Cake

I do not resist the pleasure to publish the recipe my english friend Elisabeth mailed me. Last year we were enjoying so much her "boiled cake" with a "nice cup of tea" sat in front of her chimney in Four Marks.

"This is the basic recipe for what is unappetisingly called a "boiled cake". When I make it for Christmas I add a lot of glace cherries to the fruit. For a Christmas cake I make it about 10 days before so that I can "feed" it for a few days with a small tot of brandy each day - not too much as it will just run through! You have to experiment. 

Boiled Cake

1cup (large tea cup/small mug) water
1 cup brown sugar
110 grammes butter (+or-)
500g mixed dried fruit
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1teaspoon mixed spice

Mix together in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Simmer 10-15 mins
Allow to cool  (does not have to be cold)

2cups self raising flour
2eggs

Mix into boiled mixture
Turn into cake tin  (16-20 cm diameter)
Bake on middle shelf @ 150 centigrade for 11/2-2 hours
Turn out on to wire rack to cool

Cover with marzipan a couple of days before icing.

*Picture from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/boiledfruitcake_66339.shtml

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