The holiday season is never complete without a delightful Easy Christmas Cake. This traditional treat brings joy and warmth to any festive gathering. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of creating a mouthwatering Christmas cake that will be the highlight of your celebrations.
Ingredients:
| QUANTITY | INGREDIENTS |
|---|---|
| 2 (8 ounce) containers | Candied cherries |
| 1 (8 ounce) container | Candied mixed citrus peel |
| 2 cups | Raisins |
| 1 cup | Dried currants |
| 1 cup | Dates, pitted and chopped |
| 2 (2.25 ounce) packages | Blanched slivered almonds |
| 1/2 cup | Brandy |
| 1/2 cup | All-purpose flour |
| 2 cups | All-purpose flour |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Baking soda |
| 1 teaspoon | Ground cloves |
| 1 teaspoon | Ground allspice |
| 1 teaspoon | Ground cinnamon |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Salt |
| 1 cup | Butter |
| 2 cups | Packed brown sugar |
| 6 | Eggs |
| 3/4 cup | Molasses |
| 3/4 cup | Apple juice |
Instructions:
- Soak the Fruits:
- In a medium bowl, combine cherries, citrus peel, raisins, currants, dates, and almonds.
- Stir in brandy and let it stand for 2 hours or overnight.
- Dredge soaked fruit with 1/2 cup flour.
- Prepare the Cake Pan:
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
- Grease an 8x8x3 inch fruit cake pan, line it with parchment paper, and grease again.
- In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, cream butter until light.
- Gradually blend in brown sugar and eggs.
- Add the Wet Ingredients:
- Mix together molasses and apple juice.
- Beat the molasses mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the flour mixture, making 4 dry and 3 liquid additions.
- Fold in Floured Fruit:
- Fold in the floured fruit mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake the Cake:
- Bake in the preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool and Store:
- Remove the cake from the pan and lift off the parchment paper.
- Cool the cake completely, then wrap it loosely in wax paper.
- Store the cake in an airtight container.