SHERRY & ALMOND CHRISTMAS CAKE

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Sherry & almond Christmas cake image

Packed with almonds, both ground and whole, and fed with raisiny PX sherry, this is intensely fruity - but not overly rich

Provided by Jane Hornby

Time 3h30m

Yield Cuts into 12 slices

Number Of Ingredients 11

1kg bag mixed dried fruit (not one with cherries)
zest and juice 2 large oranges
150ml PX (Pedro Ximenez) sherry , plus extra for feeding
250g pack butter , softened, plus extra for the tin
250g light muscovado sugar
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod
140g plain flour
100g ground almond
2 tsp mixed spice
4 large eggs , beaten
140g whole almond

Steps:

  • Mix the fruit, zest, juice and sherry, and leave overnight to soak. Next day, heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and double-line a deep, 20cm round cake tin. Wrap the outside with brown paper or newspaper and secure with string, as this will protect the sides from overcooking.
  • Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds together until pale and creamy. Mix the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice together, then tip into the butter mix with the eggs. Beat until combined and smooth. Stir in the whole almonds, fruit and any leftover juices, turn into the tin, then smooth the top and make a dip in the middle. Bake for 1½ hrs.
  • Turn down the oven to 140C/fan 130C/ gas 2, then bake for 1½ hrs more until dark on the top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, or with a few damp crumbs clinging to it. Once cool enough to handle, turn onto a cooling rack and peel away the lining paper. Cool completely.
  • Keep the cake well wrapped, then feed once a fortnight with 1-2 tbsp sherry. Poke holes into the cake with a skewer and slowly spoon over the sherry. If you don't have time to do this, this cake is delicious freshly made, and can be covered and decorated as soon as it has completely cooled down.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 1079 calories, Fat 54 grams fat, SaturatedFat 15 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 137 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 126 grams sugar, Protein 19 grams protein, Sodium 0.6 milligram of sodium

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