My Grandmother’s Christmas Cake – Our Family Christmas Fruit Cake

Weigh and measure all the ingredients. Chop all the fruit into similar sizes – raisins, cherries and peel, if large; mix all together. Combine with brandy and mix well; add as much brandy as you wish to ensure the fruit is well covered. Remember the fruit will absorb a lot of moisture as well, so after a few days, you may like to add even more. Cover and stand at least overnight; preferably much longer. I often leave mine for a few weeks, sealed well or cryovac’d.

Line a 20cm square cake tin with 3 – 4 thicknesses of brown paper and silicone paper, bringing it 6 cm above the tin sides.

Beat butter until soft, add sugar and beat carefully until just combined; be careful at this stage, as it can curdle.  Add the lemon and orange zests.  Beat the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Stir in marmalade.

Add creamed mixture to fruit mixture and mix well.  Stir in sifted dry ingredients.  Pour and spread evenly into the prepared tin.

Bake in a slow oven at 150º for 3 – 3 ½ + hours, until when you insert the cake skewer carefully into the centre of the cake, it comes out clean. After the first 30 minutes or so, cover with silicone paper to prevent the top browning too much.  When cooked remove from the oven and brush with extra brandy.  Cool covered loosely with baking paper and a tea towel until cold.

Remove from the cooking wrapping and rewrap again in baking paper and brown paper; store in airtight container.

This quantity makes these combinations: 4 x small rectangular cakes 8cm x 3cm; cook 3 – 3½ hours; I x 15cm sq. plus 2 x 8cm x 3cm rectangular cakes; cook 3-3 ½ hr.