Desserts Recipes - Creole Christmas Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 16-20

• 175g/6oz prunes (roughly chopped)

• 175g/6oz raisins

• 175g/6oz currants

• 100g/4oz glace cherries (halved)

• 100g/4oz candied peel (chopped)

• 250ml/9fl oz dark rum

• 175g/6oz butter (plus extra for greasing)

• 175g/6oz dark molasses sugar (sieved)

• 4 medium eggs (beaten)

• 200g/7oz self-raising flour

• 3 tablespoons molasses

• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence

• 50g/2oz root ginger (peeled and chopped)

For the topping:

• 450g/1lb icing sugar (sifted)

• 3 tablespoon glucose syrup

• 50g/2oz butter (softened)

• 3 tablespoons dark rum

• 25g/1oz dried cranberries to decorate

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Method:

1. Put the prunes, raisins, currants, cherries and peel in a lidded container and add the rum. Cover and leave to stand for at least 24 hours, stirring occasionally until most of the rum is absorbed.  

2. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2. Grease and line an 18cm/7in round cake tin with baking parchment.

3. Using a slotted spoon, drain and weigh out 450g/1lb of the soaked fruit. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend to a thick puree.

4. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, adding some of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

5. Add the remaining fruit and any rum juices to the bowl along with the fruit puree, molasses, vanilla essence, ginger and remaining flour.

6. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the ingredients together until evenly combined. Turn into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 3 hours or until firm. Leave to cool in the tin.

7. To decorate the cake, put the icing sugar in a bowl and add the glucose syrup, butter and rum. Beat with an electric whisk until the mixture is smooth, creamy and softly peaking.

8. Put the cake on a flat serving plate and swirl the icing over the top and sides using a palette knife. Scatter the cranberries over the top.