And so armed with my Merchant Gourmet chestnut puree I was ready to make the cake. As I said before it is from Feast and is the "Easy-Action Christmas Cake". Not your serious-soak-the-fruit-overnight-"real" Christmas cake but your easy-throw-everything-in-together Christmas cake. My kind of cake!
There is some soaking of the fruit, you put all the fruit, butter, sugar, chestnut puree, rum and orange juice and zests in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer it for 10 minutes and then leave it for 30 minutes. Thirty minutes I can cope with, otherwise you have to think ahead and prepare! Very bad when you think I'm trying to be all traditional and make my cake in advance but you know it works just as well this way so why tinker.
Once the soaking has finished you then add all the rest of the ingredients (eggs, flour and spices) mix well and pour into you prepared tin. The prepared tin means a double layer of greaseproof paper and then another double layer on the outside of the tin (double the height of the tin) to protect the cake during the long bake. Then it's into the oven (150 C) for one and three quarter hours to two hours. I managed to stop myself from opening the oven door the whole time and after and hour and three quarters it was done, risen and cracked on the surface all rich and fruity and smelling of Christmas.
The final thing to do was to douse it in more Rum! Then leave it in the tin until it is completely cooled, wrap and store. I just had a quick look at it now (really to take a photo for you guys) and it looks great and smells yum. I also took the opportunity to give it a little more Rum, well it is Christmas after all!
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