Not Too Late, Christmas Cake!

In addition to the existing recipes on my Cooking for Christmas page, I am including a new, Not Too Late, Christmas Cake! recipe, for those of you who have been caught up in the rush and bustle of Christmas preparations and simply haven't had chance to bake the traditional version which needs time to mature.  Don't despair, you can still make this cake even with just a few days to go before Christmas.   It isn't too late to produce your own tasty masterpiece to take pride of place on your seasonal teatime table.  Perhaps its the first time you are going to try baking a christmas cake, if so, i'm sure you won't be disappointed with this one.  I have no doubt at all that your guests will enjoy eating it as much as you take pride in knowing that it has been baked and decorated by your own fair hand.

Happy Christmas Cooking to Everyone.

Sue Pallett.

Don’t panic! you can make this cake just two or three days before Christmas and serve it with confidence.  Bake it then spread with an apricot jam glaze and top with glace cherries and whole almonds.  Alternatively, glaze, then cover with ready made almond paste, then add ready to roll out fondant icing.  What could be easier.

I’m not going to waste time with too many hints and tips, I’ll simply give you the recipe and let you make haste to mix and bake.

First of all, grease and line the base of a 7 inch, or 18 cm, cake tin with greaseproof paper, then grease the paper again.

Pre-heat your oven to 325 f, 170 C, 150 Fan, Gas mark 3,

Sieve 8 oz, or 225 g, plain flour, 2 level tsps of baking powder, and 2 level tsps of mixed spice, ,   into a large mixing bowl.

Stir in 5 oz, or 150 g, of soft, dark brown muscovado sugar.

Now, in another bowl, beat together a quarter of a pint, or 5 fl.oz, or 150 ml, vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, and 2 fl.oz, or 50 ml, that’s approx 2 and a half tbsps,  of cold milk.

When you’ve beaten them together well, add to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir well.

Now add, 1 lb, or 450 g, mixed dried fruit, and 3 oz, 75 g, chopped almonds or pecan nuts.

Stir everything together well.

Next, spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, level the top with a flat bladed knife, and bake for about 1 and a half hours, perhaps up to 15 minutes less in a fan oven.  Cover the top of the cake with a sheet of kitchen foil if it should start to get too brown after about an hour.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about an hour, then turn it out onto a wire rack to go completely cold.

Wrap the cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin until you’re ready to decorate it.

Happy Christmas cooking.

And a very merry christmas 2008 to one and all.

Sue.

Find your way around The Kitchen... PAGE 1: INTRODUCTION & WELCOME Introduction Disclaimer PAGE 2: MEASUREMENT CONVERSION LISTS Measurement Conversion List Oven Temperatures Volume Conversions Weight Conversions British to American Conversions (NEW!!) List of Abbreviations used PAGE 3: KITCHEN EQUIPMENT & UTENSILS Introduction. Baking trays and roasting tins. Cake tins. Saucepans, stock pots and frying pans. Bowls, basins and jugs Chopping, slicing, milling, grating and grinding Kitchen electricals Miscellaneous "Must Have" items PAGE 4: GLOSSARY OF PREPARATION TECHNIQUES Lining cake tins for sponge or light fruit cakes Lining Christmas cake tins Pastry - Rubbing in method Making the Pastry Rolling out pastry to fit a pie plate or tin Is my cake cooked? Making Bread Whipping or beating cream PAGE 5: PREPARING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES Introduction Peeling Vegetables Peeling Root Vegetales - The Potato Peeling other root vegetables Preparing Onions Topping & Tailing Vegetables Chopping Vegetables Chopping Herbs Preparing Marrows Preparing Leeks Preparing Cabbages Preparing Brussels Sprouts Preparing Broccoli & Cauliflower Preparing mushrooms Preparing Peas and Beans Preparing Aubergines Preparing Courgettes Preparing salad vegetables Preparing peppers Preparing garlic Preparing chillies FRUIT SECTION Preparing apples Preparing bananas Preparing rhubarb Preparing citrus fruit Preparing soft fruit Preparing melons Preparing stoned fruit Preparing Tomatoes PAGE 6: MAIN RECIPES PAGE Recipes Page 1 - One Pot Cooking Beef and Ale Casserole Chicken Casserole Sue's Chunky Vegetable Soup Chicken Royale Savoury Lamb Chops Luxury Chilli Con Carne Marrow Cheese & Tomato Bake Potato Cheese & Onion Bake Ham and Egg Charlotte Smoked Sausage Cassoulet Toad in the Hole with onion gravy Yorkshire Pudding Corned Beef Hash Spanish Paella Recipes Page 2 - Pies & Pastries SAVOURY Spicy Sardine & Cottage Cheese Slice Cornish Pasties Cheesy Courgette & Onion Tart Choux Pastry (New!) Easy Chicken Onion & Mushroom Pie Hot Water Crust Pastry Plain Shortcrust Pastry Cheese Loaf Savoury Cheese Muffins Savoury Cheese Scones Suet Pastry & Dumpling mix Tradition Chicken & Mushroom Pie Traditional Steak and Kidney Pudding Recipes Page 2 - Pies & Pastries SWEET Rhubarb Crumble, in MP3 Audio format Rhubarb Crumble Recipe in text format Home made Apple Pie Traditional Egg Custard Tart Individual Egg Custard Tarts Sweet, rich, dessert, Shortcrust Pastry Scone Mix Zesty Lemon Tart Recipes Page 3 - Cakes & Biscuits All-in-one Chocolate chip & orange cake Rustic Cherry Cake Ginger Biscuits Victoria Sandwich Cake Madeira Cake Fruit Flapjack Maids of Honour (with Historic Information) Bitter-sweet Orange Cake Traditional Dundee Cake Plain Sweet Scones Fruit Scones Rock Cakes Biscuit Bonanza Boozy Banana Loaf Scottish Highland Shortbread All in one chocolate sponge Boil & bake Fruit Cake Yoghurt Cake Recipes Page 4 - Puddings & Desserts Audio recipe - Old fashioned baked rice pudding (MP3 format) Old fashioned baked rice pudding (text) Bread & Butter Pudding Steamed treacle and sultana pudding Classic British Pancakes Pudding & Desserts - Citrus Syllabub Cream Quick Kulfi Apple Charlotte Recipes Page 5 - Breads, Buns & Teabreads Crusty home-made bread Teabread Breadmaker Recipes Hot Cross Buns Soda Bread Recipes Page 6 - Quick & Ready Meals Quick and Ready meals - introduction Sue’s 21st Century Sunday Lunch Mediterranean Summer Salad Quick and Easy Chicken Curry Succulent Salmon Supper Home made beefburgers Chicken, onion & mushroom pie Spicy Tandoori Chicken with Cucumber Raita Tesco Finest Lasagne Tesco Finest Lamb moussaka Tesco Finest Potato Dauphinoise Bacon, Bubble & Squeak, Mushrooms & Beans Why not try Casseroles? PAGE 7: SUE'S KITCHEN PHOTO GALLERY PAGE 8: COOKING FOR CHRISTMAS PAGE Preparing and cooking your Turkey. Preparing your Turkey for the Oven. Cooking your Turkey Stuffing recipe. Traditional Christmas Pudding Recipe. Nut Roast - A Vegetarian alternative Brandy Butter Recipe Rum or Brandy Sauce Recipe Real Custard Recipe Mince Pies Recipe Special Christmas Recipe - Jan's Sherry Trifle Christmas Cake Recipe (New!!) PAGE 9: LIMITED EDITION SUE'S KITCHEN TEAPOT KEYRINGS (NEW!) Sue's Kitchen Cookery Links page SEND SUE AN EMAIL! Leave the kitchen & return to the TAFN Homepage.

<< Sues Kitchen home page      >> FORWARDS TO NEXT PAGE

MORE COOKERY INFORMATION, TIPS & RECIPES - COMING SOON!  In the meantime click here to email Sue.

The Accessible Friends Network is a U K-wide voluntary group set up to improve the quality of life by and for blind  & visually impaired people (who may also have other disabilities) via the internet.  UK Registered Charity No. 1108043.  Welcome to our website!

TAFN - SHARED VISION THROUGH FRIENDSHIP

This page & all pages at www.tafn.org.uk copyright The Accessible Friends Network and it's individual members 2003-2009.

Text and digital images on this page are copyright Sue Pallett.  Coded by Leon Gilbert.

The majority of our activities take place via Accessible Private VoIP Conferencing.   To contact T A F N please Email us