Christmas Cake

Christmas Cake

Serves 16

Points per serving: 6½ (original points)

250g  sultanas
4 tbsp rum or brandy (optional)
Low fat cooking spray
175g  candied peel, chopped
175g  glace cherries, halved
100g blanched almonds, chopped
250g  currants
225g  plain flour
100g  polyunsaturated margarine
100g  soft brown sugar
2 tbsp clear honey or black treacle
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Grated zest of orange
4 medium eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon mixed spice
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
2-4 tablespoons skimmed milk

For the icing:
4 tbsp reduced sugar jam
227g ready-to-roll royal icing

Soak the sultanas in the rum or brandy, if using, for up to 2 hours before you make the cake.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 2/150ºC/300ºF. Spray a 20cm (8 inch) round cake tin with the low fat cooking spray, line twice with baking paper that’s stands a good 2.5cm (1 inch) above the top of the tin, and spray again. Tie a band of baking paper around the outside of the tin to give extra protection from over browning.

In a large bowl, mix all the fruit and nuts with a tablespoon of the flour to coat them. Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy then mix in the honey or treacle and the lemon and orange zest.

Beat the eggs with a whisk until thick and foamy and add a little at a time to the margarines mixture beating well after each addition if the mixture shows signs of curdling then mix in a tablespoon of flour and keep beating. Sift the rest of the flour, salt and spices together and lightly fold into the mixture.

Fold in the fruit and nut mixture and just enough milk if necessary, to make a batter moist enough to drop off a spoon if given a good shake.

Spoon into this prepared tin and make a deep hollow in the centre to ensure that the cooked cake has a flat top for icing. Cover with a double layer of baking paper and bake for 4 hours or until a warm skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 1 hour before placing on a cooling rack.

To ice, place the cake on a board. Warm the jam in a pan with 4 tablespoons of water until melted. Brush the sides and the top of the cake with jam.

Roll out the royal icing to a piece large enough to cover the whole cake like a blanket. Drape over the rolling pin to place over the cake and then press gently on to the cake’s surface and trim the edges. From any left over icing or trimmings, cut out decorations in the shapes of a star, holly leaf or Christmas tree. Paint with food colourings and place on top. Alternatively decorate with sprigs of holly.

Christmas Cake

Makes 18 slices   1 x 7" (18cm) round tin OR 6" square

Total points for the recipe: 57½

 Points per slice (without any icing or marzipan): 3

1 tsp oil for greasing tin

120g molasses sugar or dark muscovado sugar

120g polyunsaturated margarine

3 eggs, beaten

120g plain flour

a pinch of salt

1 tsp ground mixed spice

360g dried mixed fruit

60g glace cherries, halved and rinsed

30g chopped mixed nuts

finely grated zest and juice of ½ orange

2 tbsp sherry

Use the oil to grease the cake tin and line it with greaseproof paper.  Pre-heat the oven to Gas 2/50ºC/300ºF

Put the sugar into a large mixing bowl and break it down gently with a wooden spoon. Add the margarine and beat well until the mixture is light in texture and paler in colour.  Gradually beat in the eggs.

In another bowl, sift the flour, salt and spice together.  Fold into the creamed mixture with the dried fruit, cherries and nuts.  Stir in the orange zest and juice and the sherry.

Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface.  Bake in the centre of the oven for 2½ - 3 hours, covering the top with a piece of greaseproof paper if it starts to look too brown.

Test the cake with a skewer: if it comes out clean, the cake is done.  If not, return the cake to the oven for a few minutes longer.  Remove from the oven and cool in the tin.

Whe completely cool, remove from tin, wrap in several layers of greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin.

Gift Cakes

Brush the insides of 6 x 240g washed and dried baked beans cans (or similar) with oil.  Line with greaseproof paper.  Spoon in the above mixture and level the surfaces.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1-1½ hrs until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Cool in the cans.

Each cake will be 9½ pts.

Christmas Cake

Serves 32

Points per serving: 4½

400 g raisins

400 g sultanas

200 g currants

100 g glace cherries, halved

150 ml brandy, or dark rum + 3 tbsp

175 g polyunsaturated margarine

175 g muscavado sugar, dark

4 medium eggs, beaten

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 medium orange

300 g flour, plain

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp ground mixed spice

Almond Paste:

Enough to cover top of 20cm square cake

225 g ground almonds

50 g caster sugar

50 g icing sugar

1 egg white, lightly beaten

2 tsp lemon juice

2 heaped tsp jam, sieved apricot, or honey

Royal Icing:

Enough to cover top of 20cm square cake

1 egg white

225 g icing sugar

The day before baking the cake, put the raisins, sultanas, currants and cherries into a large bowl. Add 150ml brandy or rum, stir well and cover. Soak overnight.

Next day, grease and line a 20cm (8inch) square cake tin with double thickness greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 2/150°C/fan oven 130°C/300°F.

In a very large bowl, beat together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then add the orange zest and juice (the mixture may curdle, but don’t worry).

Sift the flour, salt and spice together. Fold into the creamed mixture, using a metal spoon, then stir in the dried fruit, mixing thoroughly. Turn into the prepared tin and level the surface.

Bake for approximately 2½ hours. Check after 2 hours, covering the surface with double-thickness brown paper to prevent it from getting too brown. To test if the cake is cooked, pierce the cake with a fine skewer - if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. If not, cook for a little longer. Cool in the tin. Spoon the extra 3 tbsp brandy or rum over the surface, letting it soak in. Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper, then store in an airtight tin for up to 3 months.

Almond paste:

About 1 week before Christmas, mix together the almonds, caster sugar and all but 2 teaspoons of the icing sugar. Bind together with egg white and lemon juice.

Dust a work surface with icing sugar, then roll out the paste to a 20cm (8inch) square. Brush the top of the cake with apricot jam or honey and cover with the almond paste. Leave to dry for a day before icing.

Royal icing:

Lightly beat the egg white, then gradually sift in the sugar using a nylon sieve, beating until the icing is smooth and glossy. Use to decorate the top of the cake.

Notes

The cake is made in a square tin so that it’s easier to cut equal sized pieces to keep portions in control.

Christmas Cake

Points per recipe: 73

200g dried mixed fruit

100g glace cherries halved

100g chopped walnuts

Juice and finely grated zest 2 oranges

100g no pre-soak prunes chopped

2 tsp mixed spice

Low fat cooking spray

175g polyunsaturated margarine

50g soft brown sugar

5 eggs

250g self raising flour

3-4 tbsp skimmed milk (optional)

Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a bowl and leave to soak preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to gas mark 2/150ºc/ fan oven 130ºC. spray a 20cm (8inch) round loose bottomed tin with low fat cooking spray and line it with baking parchment

Cream margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy preferably with an electric whisk, then beat in eggs one at a time

Lightly fold the flour into the mixture, now fold in the fruit mixture and just enough milk to make a batter just moist enough to drop off the spoon if given a good shake.

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 2½hours or until a warm skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean

Allow he cake to cool in the tin for an hour before placing on a cooling rack. To store the cake wrap it in greaseproof paper and then in a layer of foil

Christmas Cake

This is actually for Xmas cake, but it's lovely to eat at any time of the year:-

Syns for the whole cake 8.5 or 6 syns and 1 HEXB Choice. The cake will be about 4-6 portions though.

5 Scan Bran
2 beaten eggs
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 level tbsp mincemeat
2.5 tbsp sweetener
1.5 tsp mixed spice
grated zest of lemon for extra zing (optional)
1 pot Quark
Brandy essence

Soak the scan bran in boiling water to soften. Then drain and mash.

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into a microwavable pyrex dish/tray and microwave on high for about 8 mins. When the cake is cooked it will be springy to the touch and will have pulled away from the sides.

When the cake is cooked, top with beaten quark with a few drops of brandy essence.

Christmas Cake

From the kitchen of WELSHBLUEBIRD

servings | 18
estimated Points® per serving | 2

1 tsp sunflower oil
120g (4oz) black treacle
120g (4oz) marg
3 eggs, beaten
150g (5oz) plain flour
pinch salt
1 tsp mixed spice
120g (4oz) sultanas
120g (40z) raisins
120g (4oz) currants
120g (4oz) glace cherried, halved & rinsed
2 tbl medium dry sherry
grated zest & juice one orange

Grease the base and sides of an 18cm (7inch) cake tin with sunflower oil, line with baking parchment,
Preheat oven to Gas mark 2/150C/300F
In a large mixing bowl beat together the treacle and marg. Gradully beat in eggs and sift in the flour, salt and mixed spice. Add the dry fruits, cherries, sherry and orange zest and juice. Fold in gently.
Turn the mixture into prepared tin and level the surface, making a slight dip in the centre,
Bake in oven for 2/2.5 hours. If top becomes too brown top with a piece of greaseproof paper.
Allow the cake to cool for 15 mins. When cool wrap in foil or clean greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin.

Christmas Cake

 

POINTS® value: 3.5 (per serving)
Serves: 32 (makes 1 square 20cm (8in) cake)
Preparation time: 45 minutes (for the cake) plus standing
Cooking time: 2½ hours

450g raisins
450g sultanas
225g currants
100g glacé cherries, halved
150ml brandy or dark rum + 3 tbsp
175g polyunsaturated margarine
175g dark muscovado sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 small orange
300g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice

The day before baking the cake, put the raisins, sultanas, currants and cherries into a large bowl. Add 150ml brandy or rum, stir well and cover. Soak overnight.

Next day, grease and line a 20cm (8in) square cake tin with double thickness greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 150°C / fan oven 130°C / Gas Mark 2.

In a very large bowl, beat together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then add the orange zest and juice (the mixture may curdle, but don't worry

Sift the flour, salt and spice together. Fold into the creamed mixture, using a metal spoon, then stir in the dried fruit, mixing thoroughly. Turn into the prepared tin and level the surface

Bake for approximately 2½ hours. Check after 2 hours, covering the surface with double thickness brown paper to prevent it from getting too brown. To test if the cake is cooked, pierce the cake with a fine skewer - if it comes out clean the cake is cooked. If not, cook for a little longer. Cool in the tin. Spoon the extra 3 tbsp brandy or rum over the surface, letting it soak in. Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper, then store in an airtight tin for up to 3 months.