I am a very traditional type of girlie when it comes to making the much loved Christmas favourites, but traditional doesn’t mean little modern touches cannot be added that give the baking in question a beautiful extra something that makes it really special.
I have already posted about the finished Christmas Cake but this post is all about those things that make the cake TASTE great. I opted for an Orange and Spiced Rum Christmas Fruit Cake this year.
I have 4 key tips for anybody out there tackling this Christmas tradition (and please do, its so satisfying!)
1. Do not skimp on fruit! – Pile it all in there…raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, apricots, cranberries, mixed candied fruit – as much as you can cram. Make sure you add your liquids to the fruit at least 12 hours before you plan to start baking the cake, this will give it chance to become deliciously plump and full of soaked up loveliness!
2. Add something extra special – for me this year – Morgan’s Spiced Rum. Christmas is all about indulgence and this just adds such a warm, rich flavour to the fruit.
3. Protect your cake from the elements – This is a very important part of making the cake extraordinarily moist and is something that has been passed down from my grandparents generation and their grandparents generation…Once you have lined your cake tin with baking parchment wrap the entire outside of the cake with newspaper and tie with string, your cake is going to be in the oven for at least 4 hours so it makes sense to protect it! This stops the outside of the cake from cooking too quickly and becoming dry…and in my book there is nothing worse than a dry fruit cake.
4. My final tip…it’s Christmas so there is one last thing that is a must have add to your traditional cake…Love!
RosyCheeks Bakery 