THE CHRISTMAS
CAKE
Christmas
time is that very special time of the year signifying happiness, caring and
family togetherness. Preparation of the traditional cakes and sweets that are a
part and parcel of Christmas starts a month in advance, filling the house and
neighbourhood with enticing smells. For many people, one of their strongest
childhood memories, is the enticing aroma of baking at Christmas. This is the
time, when the whole house is in a festive mood, with the anticipation of
Christmas, and everyone in the family chips in to help prepare those heavenly
delights, such as the traditional
Christmas Cakes, kalkals and Rose Cookies, many other sweets and goodies that
are prepared specially for Christmas. Christmas cakes are the best place to
start if you want to get in the Christmas spirit nice and early. Christmas
cakes are delicious if you make them in advance and feed it your chosen liquor
gradually over the weeks leading up to Christmas. Most Anglo-Indian families
have their own recipe for the Christmas Cake, that is usually handed down through generations. Candied
fruit, plums, currants, raisins, orange peel etc are dexterously cut and soaked
in Rum or Brandy a few weeks in advance. Nuts are peeled and chopped and the whole
family comes together to make the cake. Jobs are allotted to everyone - one to whip up the eggs, while another creams
the butter and sugar, the flour is sieved, cake tins are lined, and a strong
pair of arms are requisitioned to do the final mixing and stirring. After the
cake batter is poured into the tins, the real fun starts with everyone fighting
to lick the leftover batter in the mixing bowl and from the spoons and spatulas
-- Here is a recipe for Christmas Cake
that I’ve been using for many years. It may not look very dark but its rich and
tasty.
Ingredients:
500
grams refined flour or plain flour
300
grams dark brown sugar
500
grams unsalted butter
500
grams mixed dried fruits (equal quantities of black currants, raisins and
sultanas) which have been chopped finely
and soaked in rum or brandy before hand
100
grams chopped orange / lemon peel
1
tablespoon Zest of lemon or orange
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
½
teaspoon cinnamon powder
4
eggs beaten well
4
tablespoons milk (optional)
1
teaspoon baking powder
1
teaspoon vanilla essence / extract
2
tablespoons Black Currant Jam or Orange Marmalade
2
tablespoons Black Treacle Syrup or Date Syrup (optional)
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 150°C
Heat the oven to 150°C
Remove
the chopped fruit from the rum, drain and keep aside.
Sift
the flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and salt together.
Dust
the orange / lemon peel and the chopped soaked fruit with a little flour.
Cream
the butter and sugar well. Add the beaten eggs, treacle / date syrup, vanilla
essence, orange / lemon zest and mix well. Now add the Black Currant Jam /
Marmalade, orange / lemon peel and chopped fruit. Slowly add the flour and mix
gently till all the ingredients are combined well. If the mixture is too thick
add a little milk.
Pour
into a greased and papered baking tin or dish and bake in a slow oven (150°C ) for
about one hour or more. (Check if cooked by inserting a tooth pick. If the tooth
pick comes out clean, your cake is ready. Bake for some more time if still raw
inside)
Remove
from the oven when done and set aside to cool.
When
the cake is completely cool, poke all over with tooth pick and drizzle brandy
or rum all over the cake, (repeat once in every week or ten days). Wrap in foil
paper, and store in an air tight container. This cake will last for months if
stored in an air tight container.
