Dinner - Be ro christmas cake recipe
Author: Donna Miller
An easy-to-make alternative to traditional Christmas cakes which requires no beating This is Part 2 in a Traditional British Christmas Cake bake-together. Perfect for entertaining, Nornie Bero’s Christmas cake is full of decadent flavours and spices.
- Simmer-&-stir Christmas cake
- TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAKE RECIPE
- Nornie Bero's quandong Christmas cake
- Classic Christmas cake
- What's the difference between fruit cake and Christmas cake?
- What is the best alcohol for Christmas cake?
- What is Christmas cake made of?
- How long before Christmas should you make the cake?
Simmer-&-stir Christmas cake
An easy-to-make alternative to traditional Christmas cakes which requires no beating
Provided by: Mary Cadogan
Total time: 225 minutes
Cook time: 150 minutes
Prep time: 75 minutes
Yields: 20 items
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 14
Provided by: Mary Cadogan
Total time: 225 minutes
Cook time: 150 minutes
Prep time: 75 minutes
Yields: 20 items
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 14
Ingredients:
- 175g butter, chopped
- 200g dark muscovado sugar
- 750g luxury mixed dried fruit (one that includes mixed peel and glacé cherries)
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 100ml/3½ fl oz cherry brandy or brandy plus 4 tbsp more
- 85g macadamia nut
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 85g ground almond
- 200g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
How to cook:
- Put the butter, sugar, fruit, zests, juice and 100ml/3½fl oz brandy in a large pan. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the butter has melted. Reduce the heat and bubble for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150C/gas 2/ fan 130C and line a 20cm round cake tin. Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan, tossing them until evenly browned, or in the oven for 8-10 minutes - keep an eye on them as they burn easily. When they are cool, chop roughly. Stir the eggs, nuts and ground almonds into the fruit mixture and mix well. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into the pan. Stir in gently, until there are no traces of flour left.
- Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth it down evenly - you will find this is easiest with the back of a metal spoon which has been dipped into boiling water.
- Bake for 45 minutes, then turn down the heat to 140C/gas 1/ fan120C and cook for a further 1-1¼ hours (about a further 1¾ hours if you have a gas oven) until the cake is dark golden in appearance and firm to the touch. Cover the top of the cake with foil if it starts to darken too much. To check the cake is done, insert a fine skewer into the centre - if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
- Make holes all over the warm cake with a fine skewer and spoon the extra 4tbsp brandy over the holes until it has all soaked in. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. When it's cold, remove it from the tin, peel off the lining paper, then wrap first in baking parchment and then in foil. The cake will keep in a cupboard for up to three months or you can freeze it for six months.
Christmas Cake Recipe - Easy Fruit Cake that's beautifully moist!
An easy Christmas cake that turns out perfect every time. No creaming, beating or soaking of
Duration: 4:48
Coconut Bero Christmas Cake Recipe
List all Recipes - Be-Ro www.be-ro.co.uk/recipe/list_all.asp Basic Recipe - Hot Water Crust
Duration: 1:07
Decorating Bero Christmas Cake
List all Recipes - Be-Ro www.be-ro.co.uk/recipe/list_all.asp Basic Recipe - Hot Water Crust
Duration: 1:07
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAKE RECIPE
This is Part 2 in a Traditional British Christmas Cake bake-together. Part one was soaking the fruit and now is the baking of the Christmas Cake. The recipe is a 100 year old Be-Ro recipe, used by 3 generations & as authentic as you will get to a true British Christmas Cake. Typically made with alcohol, it can be made with orange juice too. Read how to make the recipe and in a variety of different sizes and shapes of tin.
Provided by: Caro
Total time: 111130 minutes
Cook time: 240 minutes
Prep time: 10090 minutes
Yields: 0 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 7
Provided by: Caro
Total time: 111130 minutes
Cook time: 240 minutes
Prep time: 10090 minutes
Yields: 0 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 7
Ingredients:
- 12 oz Self-Raising Flour
- 1 tsp Mixed Spice/Pumpkin Spice ((Alternative is Pumpkin Spice))
- 4 oz Ground Almonds/Almond Meal
- 8 oz Butter, unsalted & softened ((226, 1 cup, 2 sticks))
- 8 oz Caster Sugar ((226g, 1 & 1/8 cup) OR Granulated Sugar))
- 4 Medium Eggs, (or large), beaten with ...........
- 8 tbsp Milk (or 1/2 milk & 1/2 Brandy/Orange Juice)
How to cook:
- SOAKING THE FRUIT
- See Part1 of the Traditional Christmas Cake recipe for the fruit soaking details, & soak for 1 week.
- PREPARE THE CAKE BATTER
- Begin by 'creaming' the softened butter and sugar together, for a few minutes, until soft, fluffy and paler in colour.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together till combined (flour, almonds, spice)
- Stir in some of the flour, then some of the egg/milk mixture into the creamed sugar/butter, alternating till all is added. Mix through in-between each addition.
- Lastly add the pre-soaked fruit. I like to fold it in gently in increments to get a more even distribution, but not knocking the air out.
- Heat the oven to 275-300°f (Gas Mark 1 - 2/135°c - 149°c/ 115°c - 129°c Fan Oven.
- PREPARE THE CAKE TINS
- For round tins, cut a circle of paper for the bottom of the tin. Also cut strips to line in the insides of the tin too (they don't need to be one continuous piece & you can use left over pieces). Hold in position with some baking spray, butter or lining paste.. See also the Christmas Cake video for how the square/rectangular tins are lined.
- You also need 2 layers of paper to be wrapped around the outside of the cake tin, and to be about 2" (5cm) higher than the top of the tin. (Hold in place with pegs & then tie butchers string around the tin tightly, twice and remove the pegs.) All this paper is to protect the outside of the cake drying & cooking too much while in the oven for a long time.
- BAKE THE CAKE
- Spoon the batter into the cake tin. Bake for 4 - 5 hours. Cover the tops of the cakes with paper, after about 1 hour, once the batter on top has set. Check the cake is ready by inserting a wooden cocktail stick in the centre (trying to avoid fruit if possible). If clean of crumbs and no wet batter, it's ready.
- Allow to cool in the tin, on top of a cooling rack. Whilst still a little warm, poke some holes in the top of the cake and spoon over a couple of tbsp of alcohol or some orange juice.
- Cut the ties and remove the outer paper. Don't bin, as you can use these for wrapping up the cakes. Release the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Carefully peal back the lining paper from the bottom of the cake & leave to cool completely.
- Once completely cooled, wrap in paper and hold in place with tin/aluminium foil. You can also wrap in a tea-towel on top if you like. Never wrap directly in foil as it will affect the taste of the cake. Store in a cool dark place until December. No need for the fridge because of the high sugar and alcohol content.
- 'FEEDING' THE CAKE
- Regularly 'feed' the cake by spooning and spreading on more alcohol/orange juice every week to 10 days, until December, when ready to decorate it. This is an important stage to keep infusing the cake and combined with the alcohol and sugar in the fruit, the cake is preserved. Just keep away from heat and light. Go to Feeding A Christmas Cake video.
- For cakes with only fruit juice, it’s best to only feed the cake up to week 3, and then wrap really well with 2 layers of new paper and freeze till 2 days before decorating in December. Otherwise the fruit will start to ferment. During the 3 weeks, you should store somewhere cool & dark or place in the fridge. When feeding, replace the paper if soggy to prevent mould forming & wrap again in 2 layers of paper, then foil & clingfilm/plastic wrap, wrapping really well like before. Leave out to defrost at room temperature, decorate when fully thawed & dry, & discard all wrapping. At this stage you could store in an airtight container or tin. Then decorate as per instructions to follow in Traditional Christmas Cake Part 4 & beyond.
Nornie Bero's quandong Christmas cake
Perfect for entertaining, Nornie Bero’s Christmas cake is full of decadent flavours and spices. It’s an absolute must-try this festive season.
Provided by: Coles
Total time: 110 minutes
Cook time: 95 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yields: 12 servings
Number of ingredients: 20
Provided by: Coles
Total time: 110 minutes
Cook time: 95 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yields: 12 servings
Number of ingredients: 20
Ingredients:
- 250g butter, chopped
- 1/2 cup (110g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) golden syrup
- 100g dried cranberries
- 200g quandongs or plums, pitted, chopped
- 200g coles australian currants
- 200g muntries or coles dried apricots, chopped
- 75g macadamias, chopped
- 1/2 cup (125ml) brandy or orange juice
- butter, extra, to grease
- 11/2 cups (225g) plain flour
- 1/3 cup (50g) self-raising flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 1 tbs ground cinnamon myrtle or ground cinnamon
- 1 tbs ground allspice
- 1 tbs ground strawberry gum or ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp pepperberry or ground cloves
- 2 coles australian free range eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
How to cook:
- Combine the butter, sugar, golden syrup, cranberries, quandongs or plum, currants, muntries or apricot, macadamias, brandy or orange juice and 3/4 cup (185ml) water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until the sugar dissolves and the fruit softens. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and set aside for 15 mins to cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 23cm (base measurement) round cake pan with extra butter. Line the base and side with baking paper. Sift the combined flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon myrtle or cinnamon, allspice, strawberry gum or nutmeg and pepperberry or cloves in a bowl.
- Add egg and lemon rind to the fruit mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the flour mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
- Bake for 11/2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, covering cake with foil halfway through cooking to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Set aside in the pan for 20 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. AUSSIE GROWN: Nornie traditionally makes this cake using quandong, a bright-red, slightly sour fruit that’s native to Australia. You can use plums instead.
Classic Christmas cake
Get into the festive spirit by baking a show-stopping classic Christmas cake.
Provided by: Tesco Real Food
Total time: 300 minutes
Cook time: 120 minutes
Prep time: 60 minutes
Yields: 20 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 19
Provided by: Tesco Real Food
Total time: 300 minutes
Cook time: 120 minutes
Prep time: 60 minutes
Yields: 20 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 19
Ingredients:
- 500g Tesco Luxury Dried Mixed Fruit
- 60g glace cherries
- 85ml cooking brandy or cold tea
- zest and juice of 1 orange
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 175g butter
- 175g dark brown sugar
- 1tbsp black treacle
- 3 eggs
- 175g self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 60g whole almonds, walnuts or pecans (optional)
- 1tsp ground mixed spice
- 1tbsp sieved apricot jam
- 400g ready-made ready-rolled marzipan
- 50g icing sugar
- 1 egg white
- 350g icing sugar
- 1tsp lemon juice
Nutrition:
- Calories: 406 calories
- Fat: 13 grams fat
- Saturated Fat: 5 grams saturated fat
- Carbohydrate: 72.8 grams carbohydrate
- Sugar: 63 grams sugar
- Fiber: 2 grams fibre
- Protein: 4.1 grams protein
- Remove zest from orange and lemon with a fine grater, and squeeze the juices. Put all zest and juice in a bowl with mixed dried fruit and glace cherries. Add the brandy or tea, cover with clingfilm and soak for a minimum of 1 hr or overnight.
- Grease and line a 20cm cake tin, preferably with a removable base. WATCH: How to line a round cake tin Play Video
- Preheat the oven to 150°C, gas 3, fan 130°C.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and black treacle until paler and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating each one in thoroughly before adding the next one. In another bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice and stir to mix thoroughly. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and fold in gently until thoroughly combined. WATCH: How to cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy Play Video
- Add the soaked fruit and all the juices, plus the nuts if liked. Fold gently together until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Turn the mixture into your prepared cake tin and flatten the surface. Place in the centre of the oven, and bake for 2 hrs or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Use a sharp knife or skewer to test the cake. If there is still wet mixture on the blade, bake for another 20-30 mins. It should come out clean. WATCH: What should a clean skewer look like? Play Video
- When the cake is cooked, cool for an hour in the tin and then turn out onto a wire rack. You can pierce the cake all over with a skewer and add another tbsp brandy to soak in if liked.
- The cake can be kept wrapped in foil or clingfilm in a tin for up to 2 months. When you are ready to finish the cake, warm the apricot jam to soften, and brush over the whole cake. Dust the work surface with a little icing sugar, and roll out half the marzipan.
- Cut a 20cm circle drawing round the cake tin as a pattern. Cut out a band of marzipan, again using the side of the tin as a guide.
- Place the circle on the top, and stick the band around the sides, pressing into place and filling any gaps.
- If possible, allow the marzipan layer to dry overnight.
- To make the icing, beat the sifted icing sugar with the egg white and lemon juice until glossy. Spread over the cake with a palette knife, forming soft peaks to look like snow drifts. Decorate with edible silver balls or other decorations.
