Christmas Cake that doesn't need to age

[canadian gardener]

Make it tonight, eat it tomorrow.

I mentioned it on another thread, so Early Bird here it is.

This is a staple year round for my English grandparents, one of whom is still alive. She gave me this recipe. She got it from a friend who was a caterer, and who used to produce it for last minute wedding cakes (in Canada most wedding cake is fruit cake which usually needs to age to taste best). This is an excellent fruit cake, and is very easy to prepare.

Grease 2 ordinary loaf tins (it is supposed to be a DEEP 8 inch fruit cake tin but I don't have one). I use PAM THEN I line the bottoms of the tins with wax paper. It comes out better.

OK here it comes:
Bring to the boil:
1/2 cup butter (that is 1/4 of a lb)
1 cup water
2 lb mixed fruit (I use the deluxe fruitcake mixture from the bulk bin at the super market, it has mixed peel and candied cherries but no nuts)
1 TBSP vinegar
1/2 tsp each: cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Take off the heat and add:
1/2 tsp baking soda

it will fizz up, stir it in well, then add:
1 tin condensed milk (not evaporated, you want the sticky sweet condensed stuff)

COOL then add:
1 TBSP brandy or any wine (slug whatever you have in there, both rum and whiskey work)
1/2 tsp lemon or almond extract, your choice

Mix well then add:
2 cups flour (allpurpose) mixed with
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix well then pour equally into the two lined and greased loaf tins.

Bake 1/2 an hour AT 300 degrees F. THEN bake the remaining time (another 2 to 2 1/2 hours) at 275 degrees F.

Total bake time is between 2-1/2 to 3 hours, but I find with my loaf tins, it's about 2 hours total, so check it half an hour before it supposed to be done.

toothpick test.

I like to pour brandy over top right when they are still hot coming out of the oven but it's not part of the recipe. Just tons of fun to watch it fizzle into the cakes.

(not to mention eating the little brandy soaked bites)

I wrap them in plastic once they are cool, then over wrap in foil and keep them in the fridge.

I'm making another today, the last 2 disappeared so fast you'd think the kitchen fairy and the laundry fairy and the cleaning fairy had been eating them in addition to G and I.

[homesteadmamma]

Thanks margery, going to make this next year.

[momof42003]

Yes, this sounds so easy.. Thank you for the recipe, I too will be trying it next year.