Cooking up some Christmas Spirit

Well I've just had a very productive Saturday and am feeling a tad bit happy with myself!  Firstly I started making a Boiled Fruit Cake to decorate for Christmas.  If your after a good Fruit Cake recipe pay attention coz this one is the bomb!  My father used this recipe for my wedding cake and I have since pinched it and used it last year for our Christmas Cake and it was delicious!!  Here's last years effort -

 

So if your interested you'll need-

• 850g mixed dried fruit
• 3/4 cup glace' cherries
• 1/4 cup dried apricots (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup crystallised ginger (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup pitted dates (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces
• 250g butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup water
• 5 eggs
• 1 tbs treacle
• grated rind from 1 orange
• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 1/3 cup s/r flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice

* note -  fruits and nuts can be changed to your liking as can spirits (I used white port in my small cakes)

Method

     1.  Combine your dried fruits and nuts, butter, sugar, brandy and water in a saucepan and stir constantly over heat until your sugar has dissolved.  When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins.
  

     2.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

     3.  If your saucepan is large enough just keep it in there, if not transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Add eggs, treacle and orange rind and stir to combine.

 4.  Add dry ingredients and stir to combine.

   5.  Spread into greased and lined cake pan and bake in 150C (130 fan forced) oven for 2.5 hours or until cooked.

I also made a quarter batch for extra little cakes.
Now I best get into gear and decorate these because I am quickly running out of time!  One week today AGGGHH!


While my cakes were cooking I sat at my machine and started a few gifts for the Nannies.  The are going to be 'The versatile book bag' bags from my Lisa Lam 'The bag making bible' made out of Amy Butler fabrics and some linen and canvas.  Will show the finished products in my next post and perhaps my Christmas Cake if it turns out any good! ;)