Last-minute Christmas cake with brandy butter icing
<p>Boiling the fruit is the secret to the mature flavour of this wonderful cake. You also save time by icing the cake with brandy butter.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients</span>:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>1¼-1½kg mixed fruit</li>
<li>250g butter</li>
<li>1 cup brown sugar</li>
<li>½ cup water</li>
<li>½-1 cup brandy, rum or whisky</li>
<li>1-1½ tablespoons treacle</li>
<li>1-1½ tablespoons marmalade</li>
<li>5 or 6 eggs, slightly beaten</li>
<li>1¾ cups plain flour</li>
<li>1/3 cup self-raising flour</li>
<li>½-1 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li>1 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, nutmeg (or allspice) and mixed spice</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method: </span></strong></p>
<p>1. Heat oven to 150°C. Line a 22cm cake tin with 3 layers of baking paper.</p>
<p>2. Place fruit, butter, brown sugar, water and brandy, rum or whisky in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Leave to cool to room temperature.</p>
<p>3. Add treacle, marmalade and eggs to pan and mix well.</p>
<p>4. Sift dry ingredients together then stir into fruit mixture.</p>
<p>5. Spread in prepared tin and bake for 2½ hours or until a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil and leave to cool in the tin.</p>
<p><strong>Try this easy icing option: Brandy butter icing</strong></p>
<p>This butter cream icing, a classic recipe from the Edmonds Cookery Book, is especially delicious on Christmas fruit cakes – with or without a layer of almond icing underneath. A small dob of it is also nice to top off a Christmas mince tart, instead of a pastry lid. This recipe makes enough to cover a large cake generously, all over. The icing will keep well if stored in a cool place (3-4 weeks in the fridge).</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients: </span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>175g butter, softened</li>
<li>500g icing sugar, sifted</li>
<li>3 tablespoons brandy</li>
<li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p>
<p>1. Beat butter until smooth. Add icing sugar, brandy and vanilla and beat until light and creamy.</p>
<p><em>First appeared on <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a></span></strong></em></p>
<p><strong>Related links: </strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/04/orange-polenta-cake/"></a></em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/01/sweet-potato-chips/">Healthy sweet potato chips</a></em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/04/orange-polenta-cake/"></a></em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2014/12/banana-date-and-walnut-cake/">Banana, date and walnut cake with cream cheese icing</a></em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/04/orange-polenta-cake/"></a></em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/03/flourless-hazelnut-chocolate-cake/">Flourless hazelnut chocolate cake</a></em></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/04/orange-polenta-cake/"> </a></em></strong></span></p>
