12 Recipes of Christmas – Recipe 4 Sue’s Last Minute Cake

RICH PORT CHRISTMAS CAKE

Fresh lemon and ruby port impart a delicious flavour to this virtually sugar-free fruit cake, cover with icing for our traditional decoration, or if you prefer just marzipan, try the cherry topping.

Makes one 23cm (9in) cake, cuts into 24

485 Calories a slice

CAKE:

575g (1¼lb) mixed dried fruit

225g (802) sultanas

175g (6oz) stoned chopped dates

2 medium lemons, grated rind and juice

150ml (¼ pint) ruby port

225g (8o2) butter, softened

250g (9oz) plain flour

4 eggs

1 tbsp black treacle

1 tsp each ground cinnamon and mixed spice

100g (3.53oz) packet pecan nuts

100g (3.53oz) packet blanched hazelnuts

175g (6oz) glace cherries

TRADITIONAL DECORATION:

4 tbsp apricot jam

675g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting

450g (1lb) white marzipan

2 egg whites, at room temperature

2 tsp glycerine 

½ small lemon, juice only

30cm (12in) round cake

1 tbsp brandy

125g (402) silver sugar almonds

sprig of holly, washed and dried

First Line a 23cm (9in) round, loose-based cake tin with greaseproof paper. To make the cake, put all the fruit except the cherries in a saucepan with the lemon rind, juice and port. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and stand the saucepan in a bowl of cold water to cool the fruit quickly.

Place the butter, flour, eggs, treacle and spices in a large bowl and beat together well. Fold in all the soaked fruits and the nuts until well combined. Finally, stir in the cherries, being careful not to break them up. Turn into the lined tin and flatten the top.

Bake at 150”C (300F) gas 2 for 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool overnight in the tin. Turn out the cake and remove the lining paper. For a traditional decoration, heat the jam with 1 tbsp water and brush on to the outside of the cake. Dust a clean work surface with a little icing sugar, roll out the one-third of the marzipan to fit the top of the cake, trim away the excess and then roll the remaining marzipan to fit around the sides. Leave to dry overnight.

To make the icing, beat together the egg whites and glycerine (this prevents the icing becoming too hard). Add the icing sugar 3 table spoons at a time, beating well after each addition. After adding half the icing sugar beat in the lemon juice. Continue adding the remaining icing sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Place the marzipaned cake on the cake board, then brush with brandy. Spread the icing over the cake with a palette knife then use it to make peaks all over the cake. Decorate with almonds and, just before serving, top with a sprig of holly. The cake will keep undecorated for up to 1 month, although it is ready to cut the next day.

Cherry Topping 

If you are not fond of icing, its difficult to think of new ways to decorate a Christmas cake. We’ve used cherries and marzipan, which looks stunning and is not as rich as our iced version. Makes one 23cm (9in) cake, cuts into 24. 335 calories a slice.

One 23cm (9in) Rich Port Christmas cake 

To decorate:

4 tbsp apricot jam

1 tbsp icing sugar

225g (8oz) white marzipan

6 glace cherries, halved 

30cm (12in) round cake board

1 metre (40in) red satin ribbon, 4cm wide

Sprig of holly, washed and dried.

To decorate the cake, heat the jam with 1 tbsp of water and brush a little over the top of the cake. Reserve any remaining jam. Dust a clean work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan just big enough to fit the top of the cake. Trim off any excess and then make 24 indentations with your thumb round the edge of the marzipan. After every other thumb mark score the marzipan gently with a sharp knife into slices. Place under a heated grill for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned, rotating it once or twice, but take care not to let the cake ‘catch’. When cool dip each half cherry into the reserved jam and put two in every alternate slice. Tie the satin ribbon around the cake, making a large bow at the side. Decorate with a sprig of holly. To Freeze: wrap the marzipan topped cake in greaseproof paper then foil. Use within 3 months. To serve: Thaw overnight in a cool place. Grill and decorate as above.