Mum's Christmas Cake

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Mum's Christmas Cake


Ingredients

3/4 pound plain flour
1 level tsp bicarb soda
1 level tsp baking powder
1 heaped tsp cinnamon
1 heaped tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt

4 oz peel
4 oz glace cherries
4 oz chopped almonds

2 lb mixed fruit (mum uses 1 lb currants, 1/2 lb sultanas, 1/2 lb raisins)
grated rind of 1 lemon

4 eggs
4 tbs sherry, or brandy, or milk
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb brown sugar
1 tbs black treacle or golden syrup

Method

  1. Sieve together dry ingredients
  2. Mix peel, flour halved cherries, chopped almonds, lemon rind and mixed fruit
  3. Cream butter, sugar and treacle 'til soft and creamy.
  4. Whisk eggs and sherry, gradually stir dry ingredients alternately with eggs into butter mixture
  5. Add fruit in 3 or 4 batches
  6. Put in a 9" well lined cake tin
  7. Cook in centre of oven on thick folded newspaper approx 3.5 hrs. 1 1/2 hrs at 160, 2 hrs at 140.
  8. If using half recipe bake for 2.5 hrs in a 7" tin; 1.5hrs at 160; 1hr at 140.
  9. When cool remove from tin and wrap in greaseproof paper

Mum's Hints

  • I find the cooking times too long and cut it down by anything from 1/2 to 1 hr.
  • If you make the small cake I would turn it down to 140 after 1 hr and start checking it after a total of 2 hrs.
  • Soften your butter in the microwave, don't melt it. Don't use margarine.
  • Add your flour by hand not by machine.
  • If your eggs are small add an extra one.

Pea, mint and fetta penne

Tuesday, 1 April 2008

Cook 300g penne in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 15 minutes or until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Add 1 small brown onion (finely diced) and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.

Add 2 cups frozen peas and cook for 1 minute, coating peas in the onion mixture.

Use a fork to lightly crush the peas, then add 1 cup boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes.

Stir through 2 tbsp mint leaves (finely shredded) and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Toss through the penne with 150g crumbled fetta.

Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil and grated parmesan. 

Thanks to Heidi Flett