MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS CAKE NOW BY THIS WELL-TESTED RECIPE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 67, 11 December 1937, Page 13

MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS CAKE NOW BY THIS WELL-TESTED RECIPE

The weeks are glipping swiftly by to Christmas, and all wise housewives are makino every possible preparation before the schools break-up and the lastminute rush of Christmas shopping has to be coped with. Christmas puddings should be- all finisjied by now, but there still remains the Christmas cake to be made, and this is always a good stand-by for the summer holidays, when there ■ are frequently visitors popping in and the weather is too warm to do much cooking.

Once again Mrs. L. W. Goldfinch haa very kindly given lier exeellent Christmas cake recipe for publication and also a number of useful hints. If this recipe is accurately follojved a most delieious and perfect Christmas cake will result.

RICH CHRISTMAS CAKE.

Ingredients: 11b. butter, lJLb. brown sugar, 11b. currants, llb. sultanas, llb. raisins (or 21bs. sultanas if preferred), Jlb. cherries and preserved giuger, £lb mixed peeF, ^lb. almonds, £lb. dates, l£lb. sifted: flour, 12 eggs, 1 teaspoonful each of essence of lemon, almond and vanilla, 1 teaspoonful cinnamon, spice and liutmeg, 1 gill of rum (wliich is better for liavouriiig than either brandy or whisky and lielps to keep the cake moist, Method : Cream the butter and sugar well with the hand until smooth and light, add the eggs (unbeaten) one at a time, beating each one out of sight before adding the next. Cut the fruit up small and add tho spices and a quarter of the flour and mix well through. Now add the essences and rum, beat the flour well in and lastly add the fruit a lifctle at a time. When placing the mixture into the cake tin be sure to arrange it so that the shape will be good when it is cooked. Place two sheets of paper in tho bottom, and then arrange the sides so that they stand up without folds, snipping them at the top to keep tliem straight. Place some of the mixture in the corner and push in well, then "push it along the side and pufc more in the next corner and so on till the sides and corners are well fillcd. When all the mixture is in the tin make a deep circle in the centre so that tho top will be quite smooth. Cook the cake for about four hours in a moderate oven. In an electrio stove the heat should be 4U0 degrees to start with. Leave it ou high for a minute or two to warm the cake through, then furn the top off and the bottom tq low and ' leave - until cooketU ,

ALMOND ICING.

The almond icing should be made as follows ; Take £lb. ground almond, 2lbs. sifted icing sugar, a good teasponful or more of almond essence and 2 ®gSs (it is best to use the yokes as well as the whltes because they improve tbe colour and make the icing stiff). It may be necessary to add a little warm water to make the light consistency. The almond icing should be kneaded well and then rohed out. Before putting on tbe almond icing cover the cake with a paste made from weil-sifted icing sugar and warm water, then cut the rolled almond icing into the shape for the top and put on. Cut strips for the sides and fit into place. To make the almond icing more economically use half ground almonds and half ground rice, or an imitation icing can be made with only ground i'ice and almond essence. ,

ROYxlL ICING.

Royal icing should be made as ioilows : — Two whites of eggs beaten up well with a knife and to this ada enough weil-sitted icing sugar to make the icing of a consistency tiiat a kiuie will stand up in it. Beat with a knife for at least a quarter of an hour. A teaspoojiful of glycerine and rosewatei added to the icing will make it keep moist. This icing should be put on several days before any decorating is done bi'.cause if the icing is well set the dcc irations can be easily removed if a mis. nke is made. For decorating the icing may be coloured with /egetable dyes, spinach leaf for green, blue bag or a mixture of egg yolk and cociiineal for apnoot icing. Butter icing should only be used on a cake wliich will n--t be kept any Itngtk of time because tbe butter becomes rancid and spoils tlie icing. For a cake tliat lnis not alii'.cnd icing but just a royal icing, the cake J ould be wipcd over wicb glycerine anu rosewater to prevent lce liuit lrom discolouring the white lcuig if the cake is kept.