Ooh Yummy Christmas Cake

Life is slowly returning to normal at Chez Kath....well as near to normal as it ever gets here.....woke up to a picture postcard winter wonderland....what a perfect day to bake my Christmas Cake.....so decided to do my DT stuff working at the kitchen table all snug and cosy whilst the cake was baking away in the oven....put on a Christmas CD and settled down to work....let me tell you the smell was driving me insane.......even The Budster was lying right next to the oven dreaming like only dogs do....can't imagine what he could smell....his sense of smell being hundreds of times more powerful than mine.  I love any kind of fruit cake and especially love the rich dark bridal type of Christmas Cake but the family don't...so about 25 years ago I found this recipe for a Golden Christmas Cake in a magazine and have been making it ever since....it is absolutely delish and it disappears like "snaw aff a dyke" as we say in this neck of the woods...(translation....snow off a wall).   Well enough wittering let's get on with the important stuff....here is the recipe for all you Christmas Cake Lovers out there...and if you give it a try.....let me know what you think.....

12 oz. Self Raising Flour

1 level tsp. Mixed Spice

1/2 level tsp. Nutmeg

6oz. Caster Sugar

1lb.1oz. Sultanas

2oz. Glace Cherries

4oz. Mixed Peel
(if you don't like peel, leave it out and add more cherries)

2 Large or 3 Medium Eggs

6oz. Margarine ( I prefer to use Stork)

9 tbsps. Milk

1 tsp. Almond Essence

Sieve Flour, Nutmeg and Mixed Spice together into a bowl.  Add all the remaining ingredients and beat together with wooden spoon (too much like hard work...I do mine in the food mixer) until mixture is well combined and has a soft dropping consistency.

Cook for 1.1/2  to 2 hours...Oven 325F......170C or 150C for a fan oven

If the cake is beginning to get too brown on the top...I cover it with greaseproof paper.

Test with a knife and if the knife comes out clean...your cake is ready.

I like to cover the outside of my baking tin with brown paper....just the type you use to wrap a parcel...I find that it prevents the outside of the cake becoming overcooked before the middle is ready.

All set for the oven - check out the sticky finger prints....me thinks I have already been dipping in the bowl....well the cook has to have a taste.....

And the best bit cleaning every last scrummy morsel from the bowl...believe me if my tongue was long enough...it would be right in there.

I know someone who's tongue would definitely do the job.....but he ain't getting any....he's not into sharing.

Voila.......one scrummylicious Golden Christmas Cake.....just marzipan and icing to do.....but I need to get this out of temptation's way pretty quick..I have been known to have been tempted in the past and ended up having to make another cake....absolutely no willpower when it comes to cake.

Catch up with you all later.......Hugs Kath xxxxxxx