I was involved in a car accident at the end of November last year. It was quite horrible at time, I thought I was going to die, I really did. My car was damaged but drivable and repairable. I took a few days off work as I was just so shaken up. It was quite an emotional time much of which I spent reflecting on my mortality and some of which planning a cake…
I’m not being flippant at all. I was feeling quite terrible and tearful. And also understanding that I was very lucky to have been able to drive away ‘intact’. I guess the only thing that was fractured for a short while, was my mind. Baking a cake was a way to distract, soothe and heal me and it did just that – sort of…
As it was the lead up to Christmas and thought I would combine the need to use up the oranges sitting in my fruit bowl with the need to indulge in the world of Christmas cake making. A short internet search later I found this recipe:
It looked easy enough. I bought a bottle of Cointreau but I discovered that bag of figs I was banking on had ‘expired’ and the bag of apricots that I thought I had, in fact did not exist. I ended up using the bag of sultanas and mixed fruit that I did actually have. Despite the missing ingredients I managed to put together a cake that was a joy to make.
I unwrapped the cake on December 17th which was lovely and moist and smelt wonderful. I had for two weeks been looking forward to feeding it with more Cointreau which was fun! And did remind me that I would have to make another cake for Christmas Day for the children (I did eventually make a gingerbread on Christmas Eve).
On Christmas Day I finally unwrapped the cake and it looked like this: 👇🏾
It did not look so glamorous and I did not have time to ‘pretty it up’. But the taste, oh the taste -rich, sweet, dark, moist. There was so much food that somehow we did not even eat the cake on Christmas Day and when my family where leaving (my husband and I were hosting this year) I cut up most of it for them to take home. What was left we polished off between Christmas and New Year with multiple cups of tea (a newly acquired Christmas gift).
I’d love to make a version of this cake again later this year. While it is quite rich and screams of luxury and celebration, I do often wonder that in the ragged and rotten world that we live in, having the good fortune to get through each day and wake to see another one, is a luxury and celebration that we should not take for granted.
If you want to make this cake the ingredients and instructions are below.
Ingredients
300 g (11oz) each raisins and sultanas
100 g (3 ½oz) dried apricots, finely chopped
100 g (3 ½oz) dried figs, finely chopped
Juice and finely grated zest of 2 oranges
100 ml (3 ½ fl oz) Cointreau
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
175 g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
175 g (6oz) dark brown muscovado sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
125 g (4oz) plain flour
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp. mixed spice
Directions
Step 1
Put the fruit, orange juice and zest, Cointreau and vanilla into a large non-metallic bowl. Mix, then cover with clingfilm and leave to soak for at least 24hr or for up to two days.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20.5cm (8in) deep round cake tin with baking parchment.
Step 3
Put butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric whisk for 2-3min until light and creamy. Gradually whisk in the beaten eggs, adding a little of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle. Fold in the remaining flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cloves and mixed spice.
Step 4
Tip the soaked fruit mixture into the bowl and mix well, then spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface (there’s no need to make a dip in the mixture).
Step 5
Bake for 1hr 40min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then remove from tin (keeping it in its parchment paper) and wrap in a double thickness of foil. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months.
Get ahead
This cake is lovely and moist with a balanced boozy hit, but if you want to feed your cake in the run-up to Christmas, then here’s how: after it has been left wrapped for two weeks, unwrap the cake and prick the top all over with a skewer. Sprinkle over 1tbsp brandy or Cointreau. Rewrap and store as before. Feed every few weeks for a more intense flavour.
