Got all the ingredients together yesterday, so todays the day.

It's the same one as last year (SO's request), and I'll take pics again
and see if it's a good repeat :-)

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/a...istmas%20cake/

And for those of you that missed the recipe.........



Peters Christmas Cake.


500g (1 lb) butter
500g (1 lb) Brown Sugar (the darker the better)
2 level tablespoons Mixed Spice
2 level dessertspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
12 eggs separated
500g (1 lb) Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1kg (2 lb) Seeded Raisins
500g (1 lb) Sultanas (Can use 2kg of mixed fruit for the
raisins/sultanas/currants)
500g (1 lb) Currants
225g (1/2 lb) Mixed Peel
225g (1/2 lb) Cherries (I used Glace' cherries)
225g (1/2 lb) Almonds
4 tablespoons Wine or Brandy (to marinate the fruit and nuts)
1&1/2 cups combined red wine and brandy extra


Cream butter sugar and spices together, add egg yolks and beat well.
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites alternatively with sifted flour and
baking powder. Add grated rind and fruit and nuts. (Chop the cherries up
and whizz the almonds (if whole) in a food processor). Lastly, add all
the booze and mix.

Grease and line your biggest cake tin with baking paper (mine's a 9"
square and still wasn't big enough!! I ended up with a loaf pan full as
well).

Bake approx 5 hours at 120C (250F) and then 2 hours at 100C (200F)

Note: With the egg whites, I put them and the flour in the mix in 3
batches. The egg whites won't properly 'assimilate' by themselves so
rather than spend too long trying to make them mix in, throw some flour
in with them.
And with the extra 1&1/2 cups of booze, mix them together in whatever
quantities you want, and even add more if you wish... it'll just make
the cake moister :-)

My mix was predominately brandy with about 1/2 cup red wine...... it was
*good* red wine, and I wanted to save it for drinking!!


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

"The joys of the table belong equally to all ages, conditions, countries
and times; they mix with all other pleasures, and remain the last to
console us for their loss."
Jean Antheleme Brillet-Savarin,

On Dec 1, 5:24*pm, PeterL > wrote:
> Got all the ingredients together yesterday, so todays the day.
>
> It's the same one as last year (SO's request), and I'll take pics again
> and *see if it's a good repeat :-)
>
> http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/a...istmas%20cake/
>
> And for those of you that missed the recipe.........
>
> Peters Christmas Cake.
>
> 500g (1 lb) butter
> 500g (1 lb) Brown Sugar (the darker the better)
> 2 level tablespoons Mixed Spice
> 2 level dessertspoons Cinnamon
> 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
> 12 eggs separated
> 500g (1 lb) Flour
> 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
> Grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
> 1kg (2 lb) Seeded Raisins
> 500g (1 lb) Sultanas (Can use 2kg of mixed fruit for the
> raisins/sultanas/currants)
> 500g (1 lb) Currants
> 225g (1/2 lb) Mixed Peel
> 225g (1/2 lb) Cherries (I used Glace' cherries)
> 225g (1/2 lb) Almonds
> 4 tablespoons Wine or Brandy (to marinate the fruit and nuts)
> 1&1/2 cups combined red wine and brandy extra
>
> Cream butter sugar and spices together, add egg yolks and beat well.
> Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites alternatively with sifted flour and
> baking powder. Add grated rind and fruit and nuts. (Chop the cherries up
> and whizz the almonds (if whole) in a food processor). Lastly, add all
> the booze and mix.
>
> Grease and line your biggest cake tin with baking paper (mine's a 9"
> square and still wasn't big enough!! I ended up with a loaf pan full as
> well).
>
> Bake approx 5 hours at 120C (250F) and then 2 hours at 100C (200F)
>
> Note: With the egg whites, I put them and the flour in the mix in 3
> batches. The egg whites won't properly 'assimilate' by themselves so
> rather than spend too long trying to make them mix in, throw some flour
> in with them.
> And with the extra 1&1/2 cups of booze, mix them together in whatever
> quantities you want, and even add more if you wish... it'll just make
> the cake moister :-)
>
> My mix was predominately brandy with about 1/2 cup red wine...... it was
> *good* red wine, and I wanted to save it for drinking!!
>
>
> Peter Lucas
> Brisbane
> Australia
>
>
I baked mine last night but it's pretty much the same recipe that
Wayne has posted here. I use golden raisins and the candied fruit
that so many people disdain. The day before the preparation begins I
dump the candied fruit and golden raisins in an airtight bowl with a
cup and 1/2 of Triple Sec. Then it's thoroughly stirred and the top
to the bowl is snapped on. About 12 or so hours later I invert the
bowl so the top of the mixture is also soaking in this liquid. By the
end of the 24 hour period 95% of the liquer has been absorbed by the
candied fruit and you should see how those raisins have plumped!

On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 23:24:20 +0000 (UTC), PeterL >
wrote:

>Got all the ingredients together yesterday, so todays the day.

>Peters Christmas Cake.

You are inspiring me, Peter. I might have to get my butt in gear and
make my fruitcake again this year....

Not quite like yours, but still very good, in a very different way.

Christine

California Fruit Cake

Recipe By :Grandmother

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups dried sliced apricots -- boil 1 minute in
1 thin syrup:1/2 cup sugar to 1 cup water:
cool and dry
1 cup dried figs -- cut small
2 cups white raisins
1 1/3 cups dark raisins
2/3 cup dried cherries or maraschino cherries -- cut
small. Marinate
dried cherries in Kirsch .
2/3 cup orange peel -- cut small
2/3 cup lemon peel -- cut small
2/3 cup citron -- cut small
2 cups broken nut meats -- preferably pecans
(1 to 2)
24 cubes pineapple -- cut in 1/4's and
drained well
4 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons corn syrup
5 eggs -- well beaten
1 1/3 cups fruit juices -- use syrup from
apricots, plus pineapple juice, plus
whatever juices you have

Dust fruit mixture with some of the flour and set aside covered until
ready
to add to batter. It is even better if the fruit is left
overnight like this. Mix remaining flour and dry ingredients (minus
the
sugar) and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar well.
Add the corn syrup and beat well, then mix in well beaten eggs. Add
the
flour mixture alternately with the mixed fruit juices,
beating well between each addition. Then add fruits, mixing well past
each
addition. Pour into prepared pans. * Bake at 325
degrees for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 275 degrees. If you have
used 2
tube pans, continue baking for another 2 hours. If
you have used 1 large angel food pan, bake for 5 hours longer. When
done,
cool completely in the pans. Remove cakes from
the pans when cool, but leave paper on the cakes until ready to serve.
Wrap
and store.
* Use two 9"by 3" tube pans or one large angel food cake pan. Line
sides
with greased brown paper: I use brown paper bags.
Fill pans 1/2 to 2/3 full .

Source:
"mother"

I have changed a few things from the original. The original called
for maraschino cherries but since dried cherries have become so widely
available, I have begun using those. I marinate them in Kirsch for
several
hours.

Christine Dabney > wrote in
:

> On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 23:24:20 +0000 (UTC), PeterL >
> wrote:
>
>>Got all the ingredients together yesterday, so todays the day.
>
>>Peters Christmas Cake.
>
> You are inspiring me, Peter. I might have to get my butt in gear and
> make my fruitcake again this year....


Tell me about it!! Mine should have been done at least a month ago!!


>
> Not quite like yours, but still very good, in a very different way.


Hmmmmmmmmmmm, saw the dried figs in yours, and remembered I had a packet
of soft figs in the pantry, so I might just chuck those in mine as well
:-)



>
> Christine
>
> California Fruit Cake
>
> Recipe By :Grandmother
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
> -------- ------------ --------------------------------
> 2 cups dried sliced apricots -- boil 1 minute in
> 1 thin syrup:1/2 cup sugar to 1 cup water:
> cool and dry
> 1 cup dried figs -- cut small
> 2 cups white raisins
> 1 1/3 cups dark raisins
> 2/3 cup dried cherries or maraschino cherries -- cut
> small. Marinate
> dried cherries in Kirsch .

[snip]

But, but......... apart from the Kirsch'd cherries.... there's *no*
booze in it!!!


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

"The joys of the table belong equally to all ages, conditions, countries
and times; they mix with all other pleasures, and remain the last to
console us for their loss."
Jean Antheleme Brillet-Savarin,

PeterL > wrote in
.25:

> Christine Dabney > wrote in
> :
>
>> On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 23:24:20 +0000 (UTC), PeterL >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Got all the ingredients together yesterday, so todays the day.
>>
>>>Peters Christmas Cake.
>>
>> You are inspiring me, Peter. I might have to get my butt in gear and
>> make my fruitcake again this year....
>
>
> Tell me about it!! Mine should have been done at least a month ago!!
>

Every year I plan to make my cakes in October and most years it's November
- the last couple it's been December. I give them as gifts to a few people
and they're always getting told they need to mature them themselves if they
want an aged cake :-)

PeterL wrote:
> Got all the ingredients together yesterday, so todays the day.
>
> It's the same one as last year (SO's request), and I'll take pics again
> and see if it's a good repeat :-)
>
> http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/a...istmas%20cake/
>
> And for those of you that missed the recipe.........
>

I made my (light) Christmas fruitcake last week. I have to restrain
myself from eating it up before the holidays. Now I have to decide about
Christmas pudding. I can take it or leave it. My son doesn't like it. My
brother and his wife are coming for Christmas and maybe bringing her
parents. Her mother made the Christmas pudding last year and it was great.

Dave Smith > wrote in
:

> PeterL wrote:
>> Got all the ingredients together yesterday, so todays the day.
>>
>> It's the same one as last year (SO's request), and I'll take pics
>> again and see if it's a good repeat :-)
>>
>> http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/a...007/Christmas%
20cake/
>>
>> And for those of you that missed the recipe.........
>>
>
> I made my (light) Christmas fruitcake last week. I have to restrain
> myself from eating it up before the holidays. Now I have to decide
> about Christmas pudding. I can take it or leave it. My son doesn't
> like it. My brother and his wife are coming for Christmas and maybe
> bringing her parents. Her mother made the Christmas pudding last year
> and it was great.
>


I made one last year (it's on the rfc website in the Tips n Tricks
page).

Yeah, it was nice to be able to say "Hey! I made this!", but it was a
PITA.

And as I'm the only one in the house who eats them........ I'll just buy
a small one somewhere.

Unless I can find someones mother who makes them.


Tell your brother to make sure the in-laws bring a pudding :-)

--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

"The joys of the table belong equally to all ages, conditions, countries
and times; they mix with all other pleasures, and remain the last to
console us for their loss."
Jean Antheleme Brillet-Savarin,

PeterL wrote:

>
>
> I made one last year (it's on the rfc website in the Tips n Tricks
> page).
>
> Yeah, it was nice to be able to say "Hey! I made this!", but it was a
> PITA.
>
> And as I'm the only one in the house who eats them........ I'll just buy
> a small one somewhere.

Well.... if you could buy one that was good that would be the way to go.
They are much to rich to have them sitting around tempting you all the
time. I used to really like the dark one that my mother made, but had to
stop eating it because of the nuts :-(
>
> Unless I can find someones mother who makes them.

I am too old for that. Most of my friends' mothers are dead or don't
make it.
>
> Tell your brother to make sure the in-laws bring a pudding :-)

That is the plan. And she has to take it with her when she goes because
I only like it once a year, and it doesn't re-heat well.

Janet Baraclough wrote:

>> I made my (light) Christmas fruitcake last week. I have to restrain
>> myself from eating it up before the holidays. Now I have to decide about
>> Christmas pudding. I can take it or leave it. My son doesn't like it. My
>> brother and his wife are coming for Christmas and maybe bringing her
>> parents. Her mother made the Christmas pudding last year and it was great.
>
> Instead of making the xmas pud in the usual bowl, have you thought of
> making single-portion ones
> in teacups? Same method (but cooks quicker). One of my aunts used to
> buy odd tea and coffee cups inOxfam shops and make scores of them for
> all the "old folks" she took meals on wheels to
> many of whom were younger than herself (she was well into her 70's at
> the time but "not old yet")

No. Never thought of that. I always associate it with a Christmas feast
and a crowd of people, the pudding coming out and being flambeed with
brandy. It's just not the same in a single serve portion.