Dessert - Last minute christmas cake recipe
Author: Samantha Espinoza
and I end up making this last-minute Christmas cake. Every year I tell my family I'm going to buy a Christmas cake and every year they twist my arm up my back
- Last-Minute Christmas Cake
- Last Minute Christmas Cake recipe
- Last Minute Emergency Christmas Cake
- Last-minute Brandied Christmas Cake
- How do you make a last-minute Christmas cake?
- What's the best last minute fruit cake recipe?
- How do I make a simple Christmas cake?
- How do you make a last-minute Christmas loaf?
Last-Minute Christmas Cake
Every year I tell my family I'm going to buy a Christmas cake and every year they twist my arm up my back and I end up making this last-minute Christmas cake. I find it a little crumbly but with trad. decoration it can look great and it tastes just fine.....
Provided by: Monkey Face
Total time: 180 minutes
Cook time: 120 minutes
Prep time: 60 minutes
Yields: 14 servings
Number of ingredients: 15
Provided by: Monkey Face
Total time: 180 minutes
Cook time: 120 minutes
Prep time: 60 minutes
Yields: 14 servings
Number of ingredients: 15
Ingredients:
- 575 g mixed dried fruit
- 225 g sultanas
- 225 g raisins
- 1 lemon, juice and rind of, grated
- 1 tablespoon black treacle
- 150 ml port wine or 150 ml sherry wine
- 125 g whole wheat flour
- 125 g plain white flour
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 225 g butter
- 225 g dark brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 175 g glace cherries
- 25 g sliced almonds
Nutrition:
- Calories: 651.3 calories
- Fat: 18.6 grams
- Saturated Fat: 10.3 grams
- Cholesterol: 110.6 milligrams
- Sodium: 169.4 milligrams
- Carbohydrate: 119.6 grams
- Fiber: 7.8 grams
- Sugar: 60.6 grams
- Protein: 8 grams
- Put the mixed dried fruit, sultanas, rind and juice and treacle into a saucepan with the port and bring to the boil.
- Remove from the heat, cover and leave to get cold.
- Meanwhile, set the oven to 150C/300/gas mark 2 and line a 20cm/8 inch square tin or four 10cm/4 inch round tins with greaseproof paper.
- Sift the flours with the spices on to a plate.
- Cream the butter and sugar until very light, then alternately beat in the fruit, eggs and flour.
- Finally stir in the cherries and almonds.
- Spoon the mixture into the tins or tins, hollowing out the centre very slightly so that the surface will be flat.
- Bake the large cake for 2-3 hours and the small ones for 1 1/2 -1 3/4 hours, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin(s).
Last Minute Christmas Cake recipe
This Christmas cake is full of fruit, moist and richly flavoured. If you've left making yours until the last minute this is a brilliant recipe to use. The dried fruit is boiled, so it absorbs loads of flavour and moisture. It's easy to put together and won't let you down on the taste front.
Provided by: Julia
Total time: 205 minutes
Cook time: 195 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Yields: 10 servings
Cuisine: American,British
Number of ingredients: 23
Provided by: Julia
Total time: 205 minutes
Cook time: 195 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Yields: 10 servings
Cuisine: American,British
Number of ingredients: 23
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 cup cranberries
- 2/3 cup apricots
- 3/4 cup sultanas
- 3/4 cup currants
- 2/3 cup dates
- 150 ml brandy (replace with orange juice if preferred)
- 4 eggs - large
- 2/3 cup butter (substitute non-dairy margarine if preferred)
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup glace cherries
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tsps mixed spice (pumpkin spice is very similar to this spice mix)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 orange - zest and juice
- 1 lemon - zest and juice
- 1 lb marzipan
- 5 cups icing sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon glycerine (optional)
- 3 egg whites (or powdered egg white equivalent to 3 egg whites)
- 2 tablespoon apricot jam (warmed) (shredless marmalade will also work)
Nutrition:
- Calories: 421 kcal
- Carbohydrate: 72 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fiber: 6 g
- Sugar: 45 g
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Pre-heat the oven to 300F/150C/130C Fan and line a deep 20cm cake tine with baking parchment. Line it with a double layer. Line the inside of the cake tin with two layers for the base and one layer around the inside of the tin. Tie a further layer around the outside of the tin. It needs to be approximately 5cm or 2 inches taller than the tin itself. You also need to cut one piece of parchment to act as a cover for the top.
- Add the fruit to a saucepan along with the brandy (orange juice if you prefer), the zest and juice of a lemon and orange and bring it to the boil on a medium heat. Stir the fruit for a couple of minutes and then turn off the heat and allow it to cool down. Most of the liquid should have been absorbed.
- Add the butter and sugar to a roomy mixing bowl and cream them together until nice and fluffy.
- Add the baking powder to the flour and combine. Break the eggs into another bowl and beat them briefly.
- Begin mixing the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar and add a little flour at the same time. It helps prevent the mixture from curdling. (It looks as if the mixture has split. If it does - don't worry it will be make a wonderful cake.) Keep doing this until all of the egg and the flour have been incorporated.
- Mix the spices into the fruit mixture and add all of this to the flour and egg mix along with the almonds. Combine throughly.
- Carefully spoon the cake mixture into the cake tin and use the spoon/spatula to spread the mixture across the baking tin. Once all of the mixture is in the tin smooth it down a little and add the piece of baking parchment that you cut for the top earlier, to the top.
- Bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours and check that the top isn't browning too much. If it is, add another layer of parchment to protect it. Bake for a further 30 minutes and test with a skewer to see if the cake is done.
- Once baked, leave the cake to cool for about half an hour and then remove it from the tin to allow it to completely cool down.
- Cover the cake with marzipan
- Spread some warmed apricot jam or shredless marmalade on the top and sides of the cake.
- Roll out enough marzipan to make a top. Use the bottom of cake tin as a template if that helps. Roll out the marzipan as thick or thin as you like it.
- Add the top to the cake. The jam/marmalade acts a glue to keep it there.
- Roll out long strips to cover the sides of the cake. Press around the cake with your fingers and trim off any excess with a knife.
- Making the Royal Icing
- If you are using egg whites then you need to whisk them, adding the lemon juice, the glycerine and the sieved icing sugar.
- If you're using egg white replacements, make them up according to the packet instructions. You need the equivalent of 3 egg whites for this amount of icing sugar.
- Gradually add the lemon juice, glycerine and sieved icing sugar to the egg white replacers.
- Whisk until the icing is thick and glossy.
- If it is so thick that you are struggling to mix all of the icing sugar into the eggs whites, add a little more lemon juice or a scant teaspoon of water and try again. It needs to be thick but not so thick that it's not holding on to all the icing sugar.
- Using a palette knife, roughly spread the icing over the cake top and spread it down the sides. Once you are happy that the whole cake is covered, take a teaspoon or a fork and create little peaks and troughs in the icing, creating a snow scene effect.
- Add any other decorations, add a festive ribbon around the sides or leave as it is. Leave somewhere safe for the icing to firm up. Enjoy!
Last Minute Emergency Christmas Cake
Left making your Christmas cake to the last minute? Suddenly and unexpectedly need a Christmas cake? Or perhaps you just want a really quick and easy Christmas cake recipe? Either way, this Last Minute Emergency Christmas Cake is your answer… ready in just 1 hour 30 minutes, it requires just a handful of classic ingredients and it can be decorated and served on the same day you make it!
Provided by: Eb Gargano
Total time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Yields: 12 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 14
Provided by: Eb Gargano
Total time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Yields: 12 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 14
Ingredients:
- 500 g mixed dried fruit ((ideally including mixed peel – see note))
- Juice of 1 orange
- 100 ml sherry ((or brandy / whisky / gin / rum - or use apple juice if you want this to be alcohol free))
- 100 ml boiling water
- 150 g butter (softened (plus extra for greasing))
- 150 g soft dark brown sugar ((or muscovado sugar))
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g self-raising flour ((US - self-rising flour))
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice ((or pumpkin spice))
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 200 g glacé cherries ( halved)
- 500 g marzipan ((I prefer the paler ‘natural’ colour… but the bright yellow stuff works too!))
- 250 g white fondant icing
- Icing sugar ((US - confectioner's sugar) (for rolling out the marzipan and fondant icing))
Nutrition:
- Calories: 546 kcal
- Carbohydrate: 92 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 54 mg
- Sodium: 113 mg
- Fiber: 6 g
- Sugar: 68 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- For the cake…
- Place the dried fruit in a large saucepan. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and pour over the sherry and boiling water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Leave to stand until needed.
- Preheat your oven to 160C / 140C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F. Grease and line your cake pan with baking paper (see above).
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar thoroughly.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture until smooth after each one.
- Gently fold in the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon until fully incorporated.
- Add the glacé cherries and the dried fruit, plus any remaining liquid from the saucepan. (There should be very little liquid left, as most of it will have soaked into the fruit or evaporated.) Stir gently until the fruit is evenly distributed.
- Tip the cake mixture into your prepared cake tin and get it straight into the oven. Bake for 50 minutes to 1hour or until a skewer, inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean. (I check every 5 minutes from 50 minutes. It usually takes 55 minutes in my oven.)
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin (or until cool enough to handle without burning your hands!), then remove the cake from the tin and allow to fully cool on a wire cooling rack… The cake should take approximately 2 hours from the time it comes out of the oven to cool fully. Do not decorate until completely cool!
- To decorate…
- Dust your worksurface with icing sugar. Take half the marzipan and roll it out to just a fraction larger than the cake. Cut out a circle the same size as the top of the cake, using a knife – use the cake tin as a guide to help you get the circle just the right size!
- Brush the cake with a very small amount of cold water. (This is to help the marzipan stick to the cake – be very sparing, you don’t want to make the cake wet!)
- Place the marzipan circle on top of the cake and trim any overhanging edges with a sharp knife.
- Roll out the white fondant icing to just a fraction larger than the cake. Cut a circle the same size as the top of the cake, using a knife – again, use the cake tin to help you get the circle just the right size!
- Brush the marzipan layer with a very small amount of cold water.
- Place the fondant on top of the cake and trim any overhanging edges with a sharp knife.
- Roll out the remaining marzipan and cut out a variety of different sized stars. (Or whatever Christmas shapes you like!)
- Place these stars at random on top of the cake, using a little cold water on the back of each star to stick them down.
- Your cake is now ready to eat!
Last-minute Brandied Christmas Cake
Yes, I know, it’s happened to me too. You meant to make a Christmas Cake in early October, feed it weekly with brandy, let it mature, marzipan it two weeks before and ice it one week before the big day – and guess what, you didn’t! All is not lost though. There is a very simple homemade version to hand for those who didn’t get round to it or are fearful of making one for the first time, and it’s also extremely good. It’s made with a jar of luxury mincemeat, which gives it a beautifully moist texture, and topped with whole nuts which get nicely toasted during the baking (a great topping for those who don’t like it too sweet). However, should you wish it would be easy to put ready-made marzipan and fondant icing on instead of the nuts.
Provided by: Delia Smith
Total time: 120 minutes
Cook time: 120 minutes
Yields: 0 servings
Cuisine: General
Number of ingredients: 19
Provided by: Delia Smith
Total time: 120 minutes
Cook time: 120 minutes
Yields: 0 servings
Cuisine: General
Number of ingredients: 19
Ingredients:
- 150ml brandy
- 1 jar (approx 400g) luxury mincemeat
- 110g ready-to-eat prunes, roughly chopped
- 50g glace cherries, quartered
- 175g dried mixed fruits
- 50g chopped mixed peel
- 225g self-rasing flour, sifted
- 1½ level teaspoons mixed spice
- 3 level teaspoons baking powder
- 150g softened butter
- 150g dark muscavado sugar
- grated zest 1 small orange
- grated zest 1 small lemon
- 50g Brazil nuts, roughly chopped
- 50g mixed chopped nuts
- 3 large eggs
- Approximately 18 walnut halves, 18 pecan halves, 23 whole Brazils (or any other mixture you like)
- 1 heaped tablespoon sieved apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon brandy
How to cook:
- Begin the cake a few hours before you want to make it (or even the night before) and simply place all the pre-soaking ingredients into a bowl, stir really well, then cover with a cloth and leave in a cool place.
- When you are ready to make the cake, take a roomy bowl and simply place the soaked ingredients plus all the rest of the cake ingredients in it, all in one go (it’s helpful to tick them off as they go in). Now, preferably using an electric hand whisk (or a wooden spoon), beat everything together as thoroughly as possible, which will probably take about 1 minute. Then pour it into the prepared tin, level the top and arrange the whole nuts in rows across the surface – one row of Brazils, one of pecans, and so on.
- Finally, cover the top of the cake with a double square of silicone paper (baking parchment) with a hole the size of a 50p piece cut in the centre. Then place the cake on the centre shelf of the oven and bake it for about 2 hours or until the centre springs back when lightly touched. Then let it cool in the tin for 30 minutes before turning it out to finish cooling on a wire rack, removing the lining papers.
- The finishing touch is to heat the apricot jam and brandy together and brush the nuts with the mixture to give them a lovely glaze. Store the cake in an airtight tin or in double greaseproof paper and foil and it will keep beautifully moist for 3 to 4 weeks. For a festive touch you might like to tie a ribbon and bow all round for the big day.
