Chelsea christmas cake

1. Heat butter, sugar, fruit, sherry, spice, baking soda & syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat for 2 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat & allow to cool for 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 125°C. Grease a deep 25cm tin & triple line with baking paper.
4. Beat eggs and stir through cooled fruit mixture.
5. Sift dry ingredients, fold into fruit mixture with orange zest.
6. Spoon into tin, bake for approx. 4½ hours or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Decorate once cool.

Tips

• Place a double layer of baking paper across the top of the tin to prevent cake browning too quickly (avoiding contact with cake mixture).
• You can store this cake wrapped in foil and a cheesecloth in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and it will keep for at least a year!

FAQs

• What type of sherry is best for this christmas cake?
  • Brandy is the traditional partner for fruit cake, but you can try using a dessert sherry such as Pedro Ximénez. It's an intensely sweet, dark sherry made from the Spanish grape variety of the same name.
• Will this cake keep without alcohol?
  • A cake made without alcohol will not keep as well as one that is made and then fed with alcohol, so we would suggest that you do not make the cake more than one month in advance of eating if you are omitting the alcohol.
• How can I tell if my cake is undercooked?
  • The cake should be tested after the baking time with a cake tester or skewer and when inserted into the centre of the cake then it should come out clean if the cake is done. If there is any wet cake better or damp crumbs clinging to the skewer then the cake should be baked for a further 15 minutes and tested again.