My Own Caribbean Christmas Fruit Cake Also Known As Great Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F; spray a nine-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and browning until soft and creamy.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
• In a third bowl, beat the eggs with the rum.
• Add egg mixture to butter mixture and thoroughly combine, then stir in zest, fruit and nuts.
• Fold in flour mixture; do not overbeat.
• Put batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for approximately 90 minutes, or until cake tests done; may need longer.
• Remove cake from pan when cool.

Steps:

• About three months before preparation of the cake mix or puree the fruits.
• Pour the alcohol over them and allow them to soak.
• Cream the sugar and butter together.
• Add the eggs two at a time.
• Add the essence and angostura bitters.
• Combine the dry ingredients and spices with the flour and add them to the batter.
• Add the colouring to the mixture.
• A wooden spoon should be able to stand in the mixture with falling to easily.
• Grease and double line a large cake pan.
• Cover the pan with foil paper.
• Place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven. This is to increase the moisture of the cake.
• Bake at 250- 300°F for 2-3 hours.
• Test for doneness with a skewer after about 2 hours.
• When done, prick the cake with a skewer repeatedly and pour sweet red wine all over the cake.
• Replace wine when the cake has soaked it up.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• To prepare the fruit mix: Finely chop currants, raisins, prunes, figs and cherries.
• Combine in a large bowl with mixed peel and almonds.
• Mix vanilla and ground cloves with rum, and pour the rum mixture over the fruit mix.
• Stir to combine.
• Cover the bowl tightly, and let soak for a minimum of 24 hours and up to one month.
• Prepare the caramelised sugar on the day you intend to bake the cake.
• Put brown sugar in a heavy pot.
• Carefully cook over low heat stirring constantly, until sugar liquefies and begins to turn darker.
• Do not burn!
• When sugar has turned dark, remove pot from heat and gradually stir in hot water.
• Mix well.
• Let the mixture cool.
• Final cooking: Preheat oven to 120 C (250 F).
• Line a round cake tin with buttered parchment paper.
• Stir lime peel and caramelised sugar into the fruit mixture.
• Set aside.
• Sift together flour and baking powder.
• Set aside.
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until blended.
• Add the flour mixture, stir to combine.
• Add the fruit mixture, stir to combine.
• Pour batter into the prepared tin and place the pan in a larger shallow pan filled with hot water.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 2 1/2- 3 hours or until cake tests done.
• Cake should shrink from the sides of the pan.
• Cool cake in the tin for 24 hours before removing.
• Let the cake ripen for some time before serving.
• Fruit cake keeps very well, but if you want to store it for a longer time, moisten it with additional rum from time to time.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 150c/300f/gas 2. Grease a deep 8 inch round or 7 inch square tin. Line the base & sides with a double thickness of greaseproof paper & then grease this as well. Make sure the paper lining the sides are taller than the tin.
• Beat the eggs & Baily's together in a jug or bowl. Sift the flour, sugar & spices into the fruit mixture. Add the beaten egg mixture to the other ingredients. Beat together thoroughly with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes, until completely combined. DO NOT USE A FOOD PROCESSOR.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Level with the back of a spoon.
• Make a slight indentation in the centre of the mixture so it will rise evenly.
• Bake in the centre of the oven 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours. Test the cake after 2 1/2 hours by inserting a clean metal skewer into the centre of the cake. If it is cooked, the skewer will come out clean & the centre will be firm when pressed lightly. If it is not cooked, return to the oven, but test at intervals. If the top is browning too quickly, place a disc of foil or brown paper over it to reduce burning.
• Once cooked, remove from the oven & allow to cool completely in the tin. Turn the cake out onto a wire wrack, leaving the lining paper on. Using a clean skewer, prick the top of the cake in places. Spoon over a dessert spoon of Brandy. Wrap the cake in foil or muslin, if available. Place in an airtight tin.
• Feed the cake with Brandy at intervals (once very two weeks) until required.
• If using as Christmas cake, the cake can be iced as usual, or you can decorate with just a dusting of icing sugar & ribbon.

Steps:

• Line a 8-inch round, or 7-inch square tin with 3 layers of paper.
• Having said that, I find it easier to line it with one, then wrap the OUTSIDE of the tin in several layers of newspaper, tied with kitchen string.
• Weigh and measure ingredients.
• Sift flour salt and spices.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Gradually add the eggs to the creamed mixture.
• Mix well.
• It may look a bit curdled at this stage, but that's OK.
• Add the fruit, nuts, then the flour and liquid.
• Stir gently and thoroughly. I do this with my (clean) hands.
• Place in the prepared tin, hollowing out the centre a little to allow for rising.
• You can decorate the top with blanched whole almonds now if you wish.
• Bake in a 325°F oven (decreasing the temp gradually as the cake cook) for 3- 3 1/2 hours.
• When baked, leave in the tin for at least 10 minutes before turning out-until completely cold is better though.
• This is good made in about October, and stored wrapped in foil in an airtight container until Christmas.

Steps:

• Mix the sultanas, raisins, brandy and water, and then soak overnight.
• Mix seived pumpkin, eggs, apple concentrate and milk.
• Add the soaked fruit, nuts and spices, then sifted flour and bicarbonate of soda. Return bran left in sieve to flour mixture. Mix well with wooden spoon.
• Spoon into a lightly greased 20cm cake tin.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 200C, then turn down the heat and bake at 180C until cooked through and browned. (approx. 1-1/4 hours).
• Using the apple concentrate gives the sweetness to this cake.