CHRISTMAS CAKES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 802, 3 December 1954, Page 32

CHRISTMAS CAKES

ERE are recipes for Christmas cakes for those who like to get cakes made early, while eggs are reasonable and before Christmas shopping and general busy-ness begins. Anyhow, save this page until you are ready, or else you will have to write for another copy! There are two or three new recipes this year. The Doctor’s Wife's Cake This lady has made a great many of these for her family’s different celebra-tions-weddings and christenings, church group special meetings, and so on-and always with great success. It has no rising in it. One pound eggs (usually 8), 1 Ib. butter, 1 Ib. sugar, 5 to 6 lb, mixed fruit, including currants and dates, 142 lb. flour, several essences to taste. Cream butter and sugar very well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Mix together fruit and flour, and add little by little to mixture; add essences (almond, lemon, vanilla, etc.). Bake in a tin 8in. across. Put 6 thicknesses greased paper on bottom of tin, also around sides, bringing paper well above sides. Now light oven and place cake in at. regulo 1. Do not open door for 4 hours. Bake 6 to 7 hours approximately. Do not alter heat. The Milford Cake This is another favourite, and easily made. Three pounds mixed fruit (more or less), 1 cup hot water, 42 lb. butter (or more), 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon golden syrup. Put all in large saucepan. Boil 10 mins. Let cool. Add 1 tablespoon glycerine, t teaspoon each mixed spice, mace. Beat stiff 4 or more egg whites, add yolks and beat until like custard. Add to mixture in saucepan alternately with 1 lb. flour to whieh has been added 1 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda, and sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Bake in Qin. tin lined with greased paper and cover with double sheet brown paper, Put on third shelf from bottom and bake 34% to 4 hours, 350 degrees, top off, bottom low. See oven does not get below 200, as some ovens lose heat. If so, turn bottom to medium, top; to low for 10 mins. June’s Christmas Cake Six eggs, % Ib. butter, 1 tablespoon golden syrup, 1% cup wine or sherry, Vy cup milk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, %% lb. brown sugar, 1% Ib. flour, 3 Ib. mixed fruit, 2 teaspoons essence of lemon and vanilla, 2 teaspoons spice if liked. ‘Mix in usual way. Bake at 250 degrees, bottom low, 4 to 5 hours. Una Carter's Cake This excellent recipe was given me by Gold Medallist Una Carter, much-loved cooking demonstrator, whose special interest was in helping young and inexperienced housewives all over New Zealand. She worked devotedly for the Red Cross during the war, in many different ways, and her death in England just lately has grieved thousands of us. Una always advocated greasing the cake-tin but not the paper, and she’ insisted that a teaspoon of glycerine beaten in with the butter did away with the need for spirits, She also made the fruit very hot in the oven after preparing it. One pound butter, 8 eggs, 142 Ib. sultanas, 4% Ib. preserved ginger, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond essences mixed, or ratafia as well, making 1 teaspoonful altogether, %4 Ib. light ‘brown sugar, 112 Ib. currants, 1 Ib.

raisins, 2 lb. mixed peel, 1 teaspoon glycerine (beat in with butter), grated orange, lemon rinds (1 teaspoon), small

level teaspoon baking powder (no more), 11% lb. flour, slight sprinkling cayenne to bring out flavour, no need for any spirits, 1% lb. preserved cherries if desired (only for colour, does not affect flavour), 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, any crystallised fruit desired for colour, Grease tin but not paper. This quantity fills an 11 in. tin, Add eggs one by one unbeaten. Add heated fruit last. Beat with hand, After scraping out bowl, mix batter from sides of bowl well into cake mixture already in tin. Make fair-sized hole in centre with hand, so cake will rise evenly. 1ZR Christmas Cake Half pound butter, 5 eggs, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 10 oz. flour, 42 teaspoon each of 7 essences-vanilla, lemon, pineapple, brandy, cherry, almond and any

other, 1/2 lb. sugar, 2 Ib. fruit, 1% to Y teaspoon curry powder. Prepare fruit and sprinkle with flour. Put in warm place while creaming butter and sugar, Also have flour sifted ready in warm ‘place. When butter and sugar nicely creamed, add eggs one at a time, and sprinkle in a little flour with each egg to prevent curdling. Add curry powder, then fruit and flour alternately, baking powder last. Quickly turn mixture into wellgreased tin. Bake, moderate oven, 3% hours approximately; oven 300 degrees to begin with. After first +4 hour, heat may be lowered. Dark Christmas Cake This is always a favourite: 34 Ib. butter, 1 Ib. flour, % Ib. raisins, 1% Ib. lemon peel, 6 eggs, 1/4 lb. almonds, small teaspoon baking soda, 6 level tablespoons black currant jam (the secret of the cake), 34 lb. sugar, %4 lb, sultanas, 34 Ib. currants, 2 lb. preserved ginger, 1% lb. walnuts, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon treacle. Cream butter, sugar; beat eggs one by one and add separately. Add flour, to which soda and salt have been added. Work in fruit, treacle, and lastly black currant jam. Grease tin well, line with brown paper and bake 3% to 4 hours approximately. Will keep months, and may be used as wedding cake. Makes over a 7 lb. cake or can be divided into two cakes for overseas. Put in oven at 350 degrees, top off, bottom low, Lower temperature after 1 hour and leave till cooked. Can cook on stored heat last 4% hour. These times are only a guide, and approximate. Wee Wyn’s Cake One pound each currants, sultanas, seeded raisins, brown sugar and butter,

1 teaspoon baking powder, 1% lb. mixed / peel, % Ib. cherries, % Ib. almonds, 1% Ib, flour, ¥2 teaspoon salt, 10 large eggs, 1 tablespoon rosewater, added last. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs singly beating well in between. Add flour, fruit etc. Bake in moderate oven 6 to 6% hours. Makes 2 large cakes,