Christmas Cake with Royal Icing : Celebrating Christmas

 

  
Ingredients -
All purpose flour - 225 g
Brown Sugar - 200 g
Butter - 175 g
Eggs - 5
Currants - 100 g
Sultanas - 100 g
Raisins - 50 g
Glase cherries - 50 g
Mixed dried fruit chopped ( cashews, almonds, walnuts) - 1/2 cup
Candied peel mixed - 1/2 cup
Mixed spices - 1 tsp
( take 1 tsp each of nutmeg,allspice,cinnamon,cloves,dried ginger and dry grind it.)
Ground nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
Ground cloves - 1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Soda bicarb - 1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp
Lemon zest - 1/2 lemon
Brandy - 3-4 tbsp

Royal icing - 
Icing sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Egg white - 2
Lemon juice - few drops

                               
Method -

1. Soak the raisin, currants and sultanas in the brandy and keep it overnight.
2. Take butter in a big mixing bowl and beat it with an electric mixture on a high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add sugar gradually, whisking it all the time. By now it should be double in volume.
4. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition.
5. Sift the flour with baking powder and soda and add it to the batter gradually on a very low speed or with a wooden spatula.
6. Add all the spices, mixed dried fruits, soaked currants, raisins,
sultanas and the cherries, candied peel, cocoa and the zest of the lemon.
7. Grease and line a round or square baking dish of your choise and pour the batter evenly into it.
8. Bake it in a moderate oven for about an hour and half or until done and when inserted with a skewer it should come out clean. Take it out and let it cool completely before putting royal icing over it.
9. Make the cake weeks before christmas if you want it moist and want to feed the cake with brandy. Just make a few holes in the cake with a skewer and pour over 3-4 tbsp of brandy. Let the brandy soak into the cake. Then decorate your cake with royal icing.

Royal icing -
 
1. sift the icing sugar through a fine sieve to avoid any trace of lump.
2.  Beat egg white with a wodden spatula or electric mixture until soft peak forms, gradually add icing sugar, beating well all the time.
3. Add lemon juice and keep beating it until the peak holds its shape.
When the icing is glossy and stiff it's ready to use.
4. A little food colouring can be added if necessary.
5. Leave around 4-5 tbsp of icing for the snowman and mistletoe and cover the cake completely with the remaining icing and keep it refriged for some time before decorating it with the snowman and mistletoe.

For the Snowman and Mistletoe - 

 
1. Mix about 5-6 tbsp of icing sugar in the royal icing and knead it like a dough. If it is still moist  you can add more sugar until it resembles a pliable dough.
2. Divide the dough in two part. Shape the first part like a snow man. You can use food colour for the eyes, nose, cap, buttons and the muffler of snowman. Let it dry for an hour before placing it on the cake.
3. Add green food colour to the remaining dough and give it a shape of three leaves and draw with brush to resemble more like a leaf.
4. Let it dry for an hour and then adjust it in one corner of the cake and cut three cherries and assemble it all .
5.  Enjoy christmas with this lovely cake.... A merry christmas to you all.