Two-Fruit Christmas Cake
Two-Fruit Christmas Cake
A great two-fruit Christmas cake packed with flavour, spices and best of all economy. This wonderful cake only contains cherries and sultanas yet is full of flavour for any time of the year and especially great at Christmas.
Ingredients
- 225 g/8oz Neills plain flour
- 680 g/11/2lb sultanas
- 450 g/1lb glacé cherries – red green and yellow
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 225 g/8oz butter
- 225 g/8oz soft brown sugar
- 4 eggs – size 2
- Rind of 1/2 lemon
- 30 g/1oz sliced whole almonds
- 55 g/2oz ground almonds
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- A little milk
Instructions
- Clean the sultanas by washing and drying well. Wash and chop the cherries in half and dry well.
- Toss the cherries in one third of the flour to be used in the recipe.
- Cream the butter and soft brown sugar until light and fluffy, then alternately add the lightly beaten eggs, flour and almonds, in three additions. (Always sieve the flour before adding).
- Add the lemon rind and mixed spice and finally the sultanas and cherries, use a little milk to adjust the consistency.
- Transfer to a well lined 230mm (9inch) cake tin and bake at 180°C/350°F or Gas Mark 4 for a 1/2 hour.
- Reduce to 150°C/300°F or Gas Mark 2 until cooked (approximately 1-11/2 hours).