2 minute read
Christmas cake Recipe from Re:store
THE RE:STORE Christmas cake
Serves: 16 | Prep: 20 mins plus soaking overnight Cooking Time: 2 ½ to 2 ¼ hours
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INGREDIENTS 250g raisins 250g sultanas 250g apricots, chopped 400ml strong cider + enough to feed the cake 225g butter 250g golden granulated sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 50g dark chocolate 4 medium free-range eggs 125g chopped mixed nuts 250g plain wholemeal flour 100g SR white flour
METHOD
1. Start the night before, placing the raisins, sultanas and apricots in a large bowl and pour in 300ml of the cider. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
2. Cut the butter into chunks and place in a large pan with the sugar, the soaked dried fruit, the cinnamon and the remaining cider. Heat gently, stirring frequently until the butter has melted. Continue to cook over a low heat for 10 minutes or until the fruit has plumped up and the juices are thickened and syrupy. Let the juices bubble gently and don’t cover the pan. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate and leave to cool for 30mins.
3. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees C, gas mark 1. Line the base and sides of a 20 cm round (or 18cm square) tin with baking parchment. (Top Tip – use the bags your mix came in!)
4. Beat the eggs into the fruit mixture then stir in the nuts and flours until evenly combined. Turn into the tin and level the surface. Secure a strip of brown paper or several thicknesses of newspaper around the tin with string to prevent the cake drying out during baking.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for about 2 hours until firm and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then turn out.
6. Make in November as a Christmas cake – it can be stored for six to eight weeks wrapped in double thickness of foil over the paper lining. Keep it moist by feeding once or twice with the cider. Peel away the foil, prick the top all over with a skewer and drizzle with 4tbsp cider. Wrap up again until the next feed.
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