Great cake - with a twist (Favourite Homemade Christmas Recipes)

Member Name: leverton86

Product:	Favourite Homemade Christmas Recipes
Date:	10/12/08 (117 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very tasty, deep varied flavours, a real treaure

Disadvantages: Too moreish - need to make 3 or 4 quantities to last a while lol!

Green and Black's Fruit Cake

Ingredients:

2 2lb loaf tins
175g raisins
100g currants
200g stoned prunes
115g mixed peel
100ml brandy
50ml dark rum
275g muscavado sugar
3 medium eggs
200g self raising flour
150g plain flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
100ml espresso coffee
125g walnuts chopped
250g dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids

Method:

1) Soak the fruit in the brandy 24 hours in advance of cooking.

2) Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/gas mark 3

3) Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well. Sift the flour and spices together and add to the mixture in two stages, mae sure well combined between each stage. Fold in the fruit and coffee. Then add the walnuts and chopped chocolate and mix thoroughly. Divide between two tins (or one large one if you prefer). Cover loosely with greaseproof paper, with a small hole to release the steam. Bake for 1 hour and a quarter, checking the cake after about an hour. Insert a skewer into the center and it should come out dry if cooked.

4) Lave the cakes in the tins for about 30 mins, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Pour over the remaining brandy.

5) If you are making it in advance of a special occasion, wrap with foil and douse frequently with brandy :-)

I got this recipe from a Green and Black's recipe book. It was the first fruit cake I have ever made, and I found it daunting at first - soon it became very easy to make. The twist (the chocolate) on this traditional recipe adds extra depth, bitterness and sweetness all at the same time to the cake, and this recipe works really well (especially when doused in lots of brandy) I put marzipan and icing on my cake, and I would recommend that you don't do this - the fruit cake in itself is divine, I find the extra sweetness is too much. This really is a wonderful recipe and makes a very moreish cake (might have to make another one before Xmas - it's nearly all gone):-s! Enjoy

Summary: A great cake, 5 stars, don't put marzipan and icing on it though.