My recently widowed BIL is coming up to stay for awhile at the end of
the month, and his SO was the Christmas Cake maker in the family.
Somewhat of a tradition, it was. Even when living in England, she used
to make a huge cake and send it to the family here in Oz in time for the
family Christmas get-together.

I made a cake for us last Chritmas (the first one without a K1 cake),
and my SO (who doesn't like fruit cake, but loved this one!!) has passed
on the Family Christmas Cake Maker honour from her older sister, to me.
She told me that K1 would have been proud of my cake.


So............... this year I'm going to make them well in advance, and
let them 'mature' in the cupboard till Christmas time. I'll give the BIL
one to take back home to share with his kids and friends down south.


Peters Christmas Cake.


500g (1 lb) butter
500g (1 lb) Brown Sugar (the darker the better)
2 level tablespoons Mixed Spice
2 level dessertspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
12 eggs
500g (1 lb) Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1kg (2 lb) Seeded Raisins
500g (1 lb) Sultanas
500g (1 lb) Currants
225g (1/2 lb) Mixed Peel
225g (1/2 lb) Cherries (I used Glace' cherries)
225g (1/2 lb) Almonds
4 tablespoons Wine or Brandy
1&1/2 cups combined red wine and brandy extra


Cream butter sugar and spices together, add egg yolks and beat well.
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites alternatively with sifted flour and
baking powder. Add grated rind and fruit and nuts. (Chop the cherries up
and whizz the almonds (if whole) in a food processor). Lastly, add all
the booze and mix.

Grease and line your biggest cake tin with baking paper (mine's a 9"
square and as you saw from the pics, still wasn't big enough!!).

http://tinyurl.com/2o77tk

Bake approx 5 hours at 120C (250F) and then 2 hours at 100C (200F)


Note: With the egg whites, I put them and the flour in the mix in 3
batches. The egg whites won't properly 'assimilate' by themselves so
rather than spend too long trying to make them mix in, throw some flour
in with them.
And with the extra 1&1/2 cups of booze, mix them together in whatever
quantities you want, and even add more if you wish... it'll just make
the cake moister :-)

My mix was predominately brandy with about 1/2 cup red wine...... it was
*good* red wine, and I wanted to save it for drinking!!


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do
nothing.

Edmund Burke.