This cake with a twist is a delicious alternative from a traditional Christmas cake.
Christmas cake with a twist
Serves 20
For the cake
- 250g (9oz) dried mixed fruits
- 150ml (5fl oz) ginger wine
- 250g (9oz) butter (unsalted)
- 225g (8oz) unrefined dark muscovado sugar
- 3 free-range medium eggs
- 250g (9oz) self-raising white flour
- 1 tbsp mixed spice
- For the decoration
- 4 tbsp apricot glaze
- 500g (1lb 1oz) marzipan
- 3 free-range egg whites
- 1 tsp glycerine
- 500g (1lb 1oz) unrefined golden icing sugar
Ingredients:
Put the dried fruit into a bowl . Add the ginger wine and stir everything together. Cover with clingfilm or place in a sealed container for up to a week. Grease and line the base and sides of a 15cm (6in) cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream together with a hand-held mixer, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs a little at a time, adding 2 tbsp of flour to stop the mixture curdling. Sift in the remaining flour and mixed spice, then fold in. Put half the macerated fruit into a processor and whizz until it’s smooth. Add to the flour with the rest of the fruit and boozy liquid. Fold together. Spoon into the prepared tin, smoothing over the surface, leaving a slight dip in the surface. Bake for 1½ hours. Cool in the tin. Turn the cake onto a serving plate or board and peel away the lining paper. Brush the top and sides of the cake with apricot glaze. Roll out the marzipan on a sheet of baking parchment to a 25cm (10in) circle. Lift up the paper and upturn the marzipan, positioning it centrally. Peel away the paper, then gently press and smooth the marzipan around the top and sides of the cake with the palm of your hand. Trim off excess marzipan around the base of the cake. Put the egg whites into a large bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar (with a wooden spoon or in a free standing electric mixer) until it’s a stiff mixture. Add the glycerine. Use a palette knife to spread the icing over the top of the cake, smoothing and peaking, then cover the sides to finish.
