English Recipes

Christmas cakes are very rich and dark and contain just about every dried fruit you can think of,

Ingredients

1lb flour
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
½ lb butter
¾ lb soft brown sugar
½ lb currants
½ lb sultanas
¼ lb shredded candied peel and almonds
4 eggs
tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ lb glacé cherries
½ pint stout or milk

Method

1. Sift the flour.
2. Add the salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Rub in the butter.
4. Add the sugar, currants, sultanas, shredded candied peel, and almonds.
5. Lightly beat the eggs
6. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in a little milk or water and add to the beaten eggs.
7. Mix with the dry ingredients.
8. Stir in the cherries.
9. Mix in the stout or milk. (Stout gives colour and flavour to the cake).
10. Put the mixture into a well-greased, lined tin.
11. Bake in a moderate oven, for about 3 hours or until a skewer comes clean.
12. Decorate to taste.

Definitions

To bake: To cook in an oven.

To beat: To thoroughly combine ingredients and incorporate air with a rapid, circular motion. This may be done with a wooden spoon, wire whisk, rotary eggbeater, electric mixer or food processor.

To dissolve: To mix dry ingredient with liquid until in solution.

To mix: To beat or stir foods together until they are combined.

To rub in: A method of incorporating fat into flour by rubbing the fat with the fingertips until it combines with the flour to form a mixture with a breadcrumb-like consistency, eg rub the butter into the flour and add enough cold water to form a smooth dough. Pastry, scones, cakes and biscuits are made using the rub in method.

To sift : To put dry ingredients such as flour or sugar through a sifter or mesh screen to loosen particles and incorporate air.

To stir: To agitate an ingredient or a number of ingredients using a hand held tool such as a spoon.