Name: Fig & honey Christmas cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 750g mixed dried fruit; 100g blanched whole almond roughly chopped; 100g chopped peel; 200g dried fig roughly chopped; 100g glacé cherry well rinsed and quartered; 300g plain flour; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp grated nutmeg; zest 1 lemon; 250g lightly salted butter; 250g light muscovado sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbsp clear honey; 1 tbsp black treacle; 4 large eggs; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tbsp milk; 3 tbsp brandy plus extra to feed

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Fig & honey Christmas cake

Fig & honey Christmas cake

James Martin

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Serves 8 - 10

More effort

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 3 hrs and 30 mins

A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.40 ratingsRate

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This traditional Christmas cake is the perfect combination of fruit, nuts and spices

Freezable

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Make-ahead mince pies

A star rating of 4 out of 5.1 rating

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

750g mixed dried fruit
100g blanched whole almond

roughly chopped
100g chopped peel
200g dried fig

roughly chopped
100g glacé cherry

well rinsed and quartered
300g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
zest 1 lemon
250g lightly salted butter
250g light muscovado sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp black treacle
4 large eggs
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp milk
3 tbsp brandy

plus extra to feed

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal782
fat30g
saturates14g
carbs121g
sugars98g
fibre5g
protein10g
salt0.64g

low

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin first with a double layer of brown paper, then with a double layer of baking parchment. In a large bowl, mix the fruit, almonds, peel, figs and cherries. Turn well and add the flour, spices and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar thoroughly, then add the vanilla extract, honey and treacle. Still beating, incorporate the eggs, then stir in the fruit and flour mixture. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk and stir in thoroughly. Add the brandy by the spoonful, until you have a soft dropping consistency.
step 2

Turn the batter into the cake tin and make a dip in the middle using the back of a spoon. Bake for 3½ hrs, then insert a skewer – if it comes out clean, it’s ready. If there is any cake mix on the skewer, give it 10 mins more and test again. When it’s done, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in its tin. The next day, remove from the tin, wrap in fresh greaseproof paper, then put it into an airtight tin or wrap tightly in foil. The usual thing is to keep the cake for at least a month before icing it, and to unwrap and sprinkle it occasionally with more brandy.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2009

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A star rating of 4.8 out of 5.40 ratings

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