Our Intoxicated Christmas Cake

After our successful Skype collaboration for Diwali, we decided to give it another go, this time with a Christmas cake. Both of us have never baked a fruit cake before and were absolutely excited about our first trial. It started a couple of weeks ago when Gomathi found a recipe for a Traditional British Christmas Cake and we decided to make it. The ingredients included brandy and having never baked/cooked with alcohol before, this recipe had us discussing how much brandy to buy and where to buy it from.

As the day drew closer, our excitement grew exponentially and finally we were online, on Sunday morning, all set for the adventure. The prep work took about an hour and we finally slid the cake into the oven for its very long baking process…how long is very long you ask? 4.5 hours!!!

We turned off Skype and went our ways, finishing off our routine: cooking and lunch etc. Since the instructions specifically said not to open the oven too often, we just kept turning the oven light on, every 30 minutes or so, to check the progress. After about an hour, our kitchens were filled with the aroma of spices…we could hardly wait for the cake to get done.

The timer went off..beep beep beep…bringing us back to the kitchen; to the deliciousness that was awaiting us in the oven. When I say, deliciousness, it is just an assumption because we are yet to taste our cakes. Yes, you read it right. This cake is not meant to be eaten immediately, it needs to soak in more alcohol for TWO MONTHS!!!

Because we do not have two months left for Christmas and because we just can't hold ourselves that long, we have decided to shorten the wait till the end of this month..which is still too long if you ask us. Patience is a virtue, they say…we'll just have to go with that. So, join us in the wait for a taste of our Intoxicated Christmas Cake. Bon Appétit.

Here is the link to the recipe- http://britishfood.about.com/od/christmasrecipes/r/xmascake.htm

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients

1lb 2oz/525g currants

8oz/ 225g golden raisins/sultanas*

8oz / 225g raisins

4oz / 110g mixed candied peel, finely chopped

6oz / 165 glace cherries, halved

10oz/ 300g all purpose or plain flour

Pinch salt

½ level tsp mixed spice **

½ level tsp ground cinnamon

½ level tsp freshly ground nutmeg

2½ sticks / 300g butter, slightly softened

10 oz / 300g soft brown sugar

Zest of ½ lemon

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tbsp brandy, plus extra for feeding

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 300°F/150°C/Gas 2
The temperature is low as the cake needs a long slow bake. It is packed with sugars, fruits and brandy and if the temperature is any higher the outside of the cake will burn and the inside be undercooked.

·         Line a 9 inch cake tin with 2 thicknesses of parchment or greaseproof paper. Tie a double band of brown or newspaper paper around the outside. This acts as an insulator and to prevent the cake from burning on the outside.

·         In a large roomy baking bowl mix the currants, sultanas, raisins, peel and cherries with the flour, salt and spices.

·         In another large bowl cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon zest. Add the beaten egg to the butter mixture a little bit at a time, beating well after each addition - do not try to rush this process as the mixture could curdle. If it does curdle simply add a tbsp of flour and mix again, this should bring the mixture back together. If it doesn't come back together, don't fret, the cake will still be delicious.

·         Carefully fold in half the flour and fruit into the egg and butter mixture, once incorporated repeat with the remaining flour and fruit. Finally add the brandy.

·         Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin making sure there are no air pockets. Once filled smooth the surface with the back of s spoon and make a slight dip in the center (this will rise back up again during cooking and create a smooth surface for icing the cake).

·         Finally, using a piece of paper towel clean up any smears of cake batter on the greaseproof wrapping, if left on they will burn, and though it won't affect the cake, it doesn't smell too good.

·         Stand the tin on a double layer of newspaper in the lower part of the oven, if you have a gas oven ensure the paper is well away from the any flame, and bake for 4½ hours. If the cake is browning too rapidly, cover the tin with a double layer of greaseproof or parchment paper after 2½ hours. During the cooking time avoid opening the oven door too often as this may cause the cake to collapse.

·         After 4½ hours check the cake is cooked. The cake should be nicely risen and a deep brown all over. Insert a skewer or fine knife into the centre of the cake. If there is sticky dough on the skewer when you pull it out it needs cooking longer, if it is clean, the cake's done and remove from the oven.

·         Leave the cake to cool in the tin on a wire rack for an hour, then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely. Once cooled prick the surface of the cake with a fine metal skewer and slowly pour over 2-3 tbsp brandy. This feeding should be repeated every two weeks up until Christmas.

The cake should be stored wrapped in greaseproof or parchment paper in an airtight tin.

Changes we made:

One of us used Spiced Rum instead of Brandy and baked in a  bundt pan instead of the suggested round. The dry fruits used also varied a bit, with substitutions like apricots, dried cherries instead of glaced, and orange zest instead of lemon.

 

 

The 25 day wait is finally over, and it was definitely worth it!!!

 

Recipe linked to http://deepthidigvijay.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-food-fair-event.html

Carrot Cake and a Birthday

Is there a better aroma than that of something baking in the oven...especially when the fragrance of spices wafts throughout the kitchen? I guess not!

It was my husband's birthday a few days ago and I baked him a cake. I have been wanting to bake a carrot cake for quite some time now and this seemed like the perfect occasion. This super moist cake is mildly flavored with cloves and cinnamon and is complemented by the sweet cream cheese frosting, with specks of lemon zest, slathered all over. So, am I guilt laden for eating such an indulgent cake?? No, of course not…I used fat free cream cheese and slightly less sugar and butter than the original recipe…so all is well in the guilt department. :-)

Ingredients

Cake

½ cup walnuts/pecans

1 ¼ cups grated carrot

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp powdered cloves

2 eggs

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

⅛ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (I used fat free cream cheese)

1 cup powdered or icing sugar

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Method
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Depending on the number of layers you want, butter the cake pans and keep ready. Heat a small pan on medium heat and toast the nuts for a few minutes (until they turn slightly darker and fragrant). Once cooled, chop coarsely and keep aside.

Finely grate the carrots and keep ready.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and powdered cloves, and ground cinnamon.

In another bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. I recommend using an electric beater, as it makes the work a lot easier. Add the sugar gradually and beat until the mixture thickens. Pour in the oil and the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just mixed. Fold in the grated carrots and half of the chopped nuts. If making multiple layers, divide the batter between the pans and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until a toothpick pierced in the middle comes out clean).

Remove from oven and let them cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter, with an electric beater, on low speed. Once the mixture is smooth, slowly add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating until completely incorporated. Fold in the  lemon zest.

Assembly

If you are making a single layer cake, just spread the frosting smoothly, all over the cake, and garnish chopped nuts.

For multiple layers, place one layer on a cake pedestal/serving plate, spread the frosting on top, place the next layer and continue the process. You could make more frosting to cover the cake completely and add add the chopped nuts either on the sides or on top. 

 

Note:

The same batter can also be used to make cupcakes.

Leftovers should be refrigerated.







Linked to Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up 

Orange & Almond Cake and a Special Occasion

This past weekend, my husband and I took a trip to the Bay Area for a very special event; an arangetram (solo dance debut) by a talented, young dancer. We were floored by her graceful movements and wonderful expressions and the program concluded with a well-deserved standing ovation. 

Anyway, because this was such a special occasion, it deserved a fantastic cake. This recipe was shown on Martha Bakes, a few weeks ago and even though I was slightly apprehensive about experimenting with a new recipe, I just had to make this one.

I used a bundt pan, but you could make it into any shape you want. Also, I am no good at decorating cakes, so I decided to leave it plain. You could, of course, make multiple layers and slather them with your favorite icing.The prep-work for this cake is slightly tedious, but trust me, it is totally worth it. My kitchen and dining room were filled with an enticing aroma all through the baking process and I am sure you will love it too.

Ingredients

Egg yolks – 6

Egg whites – 6

Sugar – 1 cup + 3 tbsps

Fresh orange juice – 1 cup

Orange zest – 3 tbsps

Vanilla/Almond extract – ½ tsp

Finely ground almonds – 1 ½ cups

All purpose flour – 1 ½ cups

Melted and cooled butter – 1 cup

Pinch of salt

Method

Butter and flour a cake pan and keep ready.

Using an electric beater, whisk together the egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar. Keep beating until the mixture is light and frothy. Add the orange juice and continue beating for a minute. Add the orange zest, vanilla/almond extract, and the ground almonds. Beat until the ingredients are all incorporated. Add the flour, little by little and add the butter. Beat for a few more minutes, until the batter is well-mixed.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and 3 tbsps of sugar. Keep beating until the egg mixture starts forming soft peaks. Fold a little of the yolky, cake mixture into the foamy egg whites. Slowly add the remaining cake mixture and incorporate with a spatula. Do not use a whisk or a beater as it will deflate the beaten egg whites.

Pour into the prepared pan(s) and bake at 350oF for 25-35 minutes. Check to see if the cake has cooked thoroughly and remove from the oven. Allow it to cool, remove from the pan, decorate with icing (if using), slice and enjoy. Bon Appétit.