easy peasy christmas cake

So I whipped this little beauty up on Sunday and thought you might like the recipe.  It's really easy to make and apparently tastes delicious.  I say 'apparently' because I don't eat Christmas Cake.  It's a raisin/sultana thing.  Don't like them.  At all.  In anything.  Shame I can't say the same thing about chocolate.  Or Champagne.  Or carbs.

Anyho, the point I'm trying to make is my non-Christmas Cake eating ways have meant that I've had to rely solely on Scott's judgement re: the taste test.  And considering his main source of all nutrition comes from nothing but sugar, I'd say Scott's announcement that the cake "tastes delicious" is more than fair.

Here's what you'll need to make your own sugar addicted husband/wive/partner/self a Christmas Cake this year....

3 cups raisins (eewww)

2 cups chopped pitted dates (gross)

1 cup dried cranberries (I didn't have any.  Forgot to buy them.  Even though they were on my list.  So left them out of the cake altogether.  Scott reports that they probably would've been a nice addition.  Insert my eye roll here.)

1 cup slivered almonds (Not bad.  Although the word 'slivered' makes me think of Sharon Stone and that dreadful movie she was in many years ago.  Not sure why)

3/4 cup sherry (I didn't have any.  Mainly because, despite popular believe, I'm not an 80 year old Nanna.  So I used Cointreau instead.  The Sugar Addict gave this substitute the Thumbs Up.)

300g unsalted butter (your heart surgeon will thank you for your clogged arteries 5 years from now. The bill from your triple heart bypass will give his family their latest trip to Hawaii)

4 eggs (get these from your awesome bestie.  Who is kind of like that fancy lady from the 70's show The Good Life and now runs her own free range hen farm and orchard.  Just need to get her into producing wine and we've hit the trifecta.)

2 1/4 cups plain flour*

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon*

1 teaspoon all spice*

1 teaspoon ground ginger*

* You can sift these ingredients if you want to.  I never sift a thing and the world still turns. 

Preheat your oven to 140 deg C.

Throw the raisins, dates, cranberries and booze in a saucepan.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the fruit is plump.  Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.

Place the butter and sugar in a mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes until pale and creamy looking.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.

Add all the dry ingredients to the soaked fruit mixture and mix to combine, ensuring the fruit is well coated in flour.

Add it to the butter mixture and stir well to combine.

Spoon into a 20cm round loose base tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon (or a palate knife if you have fancy pants kitchen utensils.)

Bake for 1 hour, then cover it loosely with al foil and bake for another 2 hours 30 minutes (yes, you read that correctly.  This is one mother of a cake to bake)  or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Cool in the tin completely before turning it out onto a plate and serving with a good drizzle of custard.

Enjoy

xox