Recipe Mary Berry's Classic Rich Christmas Cake

[Sticky Fingers]

[Mod Edit: Recipe moved to new thread as per forum guidelines (MG)]

Classic Rich Christmas Cake By Mary Berry

Oven 140 C (120 Fan) Gas 1

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Ingredients
100g Red Glace cherrys
100g ready to eat dried Apricots
275g Currants
175g Sultanas
175g raisins
50g chopped candied peel
3 tablespoons Brandy
225g plain flour
¼ level tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ level tsp ground mixed spice
225g softened butter
225g dark muscovado sugar
4 large eggs
50g chopped almonds
1 tbsp black treacle
Grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon

More Brandy to feed
675g almond paste
675g fondant icing
20cm round cake tin double lined with baking parchment

Method

1. Put all the fruit in a bowl, pour on the brandy, stir and cover for 24 hours.
2. Flour, spices, butter, sugar, eggs almonds, treacle, lemon and orange rind into another bowl. Beat well then fold in the soaked fruit. Flatten with back of spoon and cover top with double layer of baking parchment.
3. Bake in pre heated oven for 4-41/2 hours.
4. When cooked and cold pierce with skewer and feed with more Brandy.
5. Double wrap in Baking parchment then foil.
6. Feed periodically
7. Brush with warm apricot Jam
8. Cover with almond paste, let AP dry for a week.
9. Brush with warm apricot Jam
10. Apply fondant icing and decorate.

 

[Hemulen]

Thank you, Sticky Fingers!

 

[Sticky Fingers]

My pleasure Hemulen

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Out of interest, what is the reason for the relatively low cooking temperature (for a relatively long time)? I'm no expert on baking cakes, but I typically would bake at 180C for a shorter time. Is it because of all the liquidy components?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Funny my wife asked the same thing, I just followed the recipe in Mary Berrys Baking Bible. I have cooked at a higher temp before and found that the fruit on the top would burn even when covered, beyond that I'm just a beginner so I can't answer. Maybe someone on the forum can so we will wait and find out.

 

[Burt Blank]

Out of interest, what is the reason for the relatively low cooking temperature (for a relatively long time)? I'm no expert on baking cakes, but I typically would bake at 180C for a shorter time. Is it because of all the liquidy components?

No mate quiet the reverse, its a very heavy dense batter so to get an internal temp of between 96c and 99c the top would be burned using high temps. The first pic is of the batter mix I made last month, the next pic is the cake just out of the oven. The dome subsides to nearly flat over the first months feeding and has already darkened a few shades as it matures.

 

[Burt Blank]

Funny my wife asked the same thing, I just followed the recipe in Mary Berrys Baking Bible. I have cooked at a higher temp before and found that the fruit on the top would burn even when covered, beyond that I'm just a beginner so I can't answer. Maybe someone on the forum can so we will wait and find out.

I concur mate, the real disaster is if the fruit in outer edges are getting ready to burn leaving the middle "raw" the top will collapse.My advice is buy an instant long probe thermometer and test the internal temp every 15 minutes of the last hour.

 

[Burt Blank]

We are making the marzipan this week. We will apply it on the 19th so it dries enough to take the icing.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I concur mate, the real disaster is if the fruit in outer edges are getting ready to burn leaving the middle "raw" the top will collapse.My advice is buy an instant long probe thermometer and test the internal temp every 15 minutes of the last hour.

So, That's the reason, I was aware the it would not burn at a lower temp.

But would the cake not sink if I keep opening the oven?

 

[Burt Blank]

So, That's the reason, I was aware the it would not burn at a lower temp.

But would the cake not sink if I keep opening the oven?

No mate, buy the time of your first probe the mixture should have set and the probe should come out pretty clean. I have an extending shelf so I just pull the cake forward enough to do a swift probe. Also good fan oven temps don't dip dramatically,

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Thanks BB