Norma's Christmas Cake
- Fruit Prep = 1 to 4 weeks soaking / Cake Making Prep = 30m
- 2hrs cook time / 45m cooldown time
- 3hr 15m Total
- 6 to 10 servings
Ingredients
For the fruits
1 3/4 cups dried cherries, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups prunes, coarsely chopped
2 cups Raisins
1 cupcurrants
2 cups Jamaican white rum
1 1/2 cups ruby port or mulberry wine
For the cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons Allspice
3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup burnt sugar syrup
2 teaspoons lemon rind
Method/Directions
Soaking the fruits:
- Put all fruits ingredients in a 3-quart container with a tight fitting lid and mix well. Cover tightly and store in a dark, cool, dry place for 1-4 weeks or longer.
For the cake:
- Heat the oven to 350 F and arrange a rack in the middle.
- Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with butter; set aside.
- Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a large bowl and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps. Set aside.
- Place butter and sugar in the bowl and with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar until sugar is dissolve.
- Add eggs one at a time, letting each mix in fully before adding the next.
- Add vanilla and mix well.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and return the mixer to low speed.
- Add lemon rind and mix well.
- Remove mixer from bowl and with a spatula or wooden spoon slowly fold in flour, baking powder and spice mixture, macerated fruits and burnt sugar, and mix in slowly until all ingredients are combined.
- Pour batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out clean (about 2 hours)
- Allow to cool approximately 45 minutes in the pans on a wire rack.
- Turn cakes out onto the rack, and brush each with 2 tablespoons of port wine and Jamaican white rum mixture