My Christmas Cakes

#122 - Traditional Fruit Cake

#123 - Date Deluxe with Golden Icing, Fresh Figs and Cranberries

#124 - Almondy White Chocolate Cake

#125 - Prune and Brandy Cream Cake

Traditional Fruit Cake

300 g butter

200 ml granulated sugar

200  ml soft brown sugar

4 eggs

600 ml flour

2 tsp baking powder

150 ml cream

300 g mixed fruit

1. Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F and grease and flour a 2-litre bundt cake pan.

2. Combine dried fruit, flour and baking powder in a bowl.

3. Cream together butter and sugar.

4. Mix in eggs.

5. Add the dry ingredients together and the cream and mix well.

6. Pour the dough into the cake pan and bake the cake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. 

7. Let the cake cool on a rack before removing from the pan.

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Date Deluxe

I baked the cake using my traditional Date Cake recipe. The icing is just icing sugar mixed with water and after it was set I sprayed some gold on top (Dr Oetker Shimmer Spray). I decorated the cake with fresh figs and a few cranberries to give it more colour.

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Almondy White Chocolate Cake

Base
150 g white chocolate
150 g butter
150 ml caster sugar
4 egg yolks
100 ml ground almonds
150 ml plain flour
100 ml cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
4 egg whites

Filling
300 g cherry jam

Icing
200 g white chocolate
50 g butter

50 g almond crunch

1. Melt chocolate and let cool a little.
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Add egg yolks one at a time and mix well.
4. Add all the dry ingredients and the melted chocolate.
5. Beat egg whites until stiff.
6. Fold the egg whites into the dough carefully.
7. Pour the dough into a Ø 20 cm cake pan and bake in the oven at 175 C / 350 F for about 45 minutes.

8. When the cake has cooled down, cut it into three layers.
9. Spread jam on each layer.
10. Melt chocolate and butter and spread evenly on cake.

11. Sprinkle almond crunch on the sides of the cake.
12. Let the cake set in the fridge a few hours or overnight before serving.

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Prune and Brandy Cream Cake

Sponge
4 eggs
300 ml granulated sugar
300 g butter, melted
400 ml plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100 ml fresh cream

Filling

500 g dried prunes

200 ml sugar

200 ml water (add more if needed)

500 ml brandy cream

or

500 ml fresh cream

1 tbsp brandy

1. Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F and grease and flour a Ø 23 cm cake pan.

2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.

3. Fold in flour together with melted butter and cream.

4. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.

5. While the cake is in the oven, cook the prunes and sugar with some water until the prunes are soft. Use a blender if needed. The jam does not need to be completely smooth. Let cool.

6. Let the sponge cool a little before removing from pan.

7. Cut the sponge into three layers and moist both with Sprite or sugar water.

8. Spread some prune jam and whipped cream onto each layer.

9. After filling and compiling the cake, spread a thick layer of jam on the top and pipe cream neatly on the sides.

10. Let the cake set in the fridge at least for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.