Heap Family Christmas Cake Recipes

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest. Add the eggs 1 at a time, and incorporate well. Combine bread crumbs, flour, all the spices, baking powder, and salt. Combine rum and port. Add flour mixture alternately with rum/port mixture into the batter. Fold in the chopped marinated fruit.
• Prepare 1 (9-inch) cake pan or 2 spring form pans by lining bottom and sides with parchment paper. Fill the pan 3/4 of the way and bake until a skewer comes out of the center of the cake clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Put raisins, prunes, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans in a glass jar and cover with mixture of equal parts Jamaican white rum, Jamaican spiced rum, and Port. Cover with a tight fitting lid, label, and date the jar. Put in a cool, dry cupboard. From time to time, check the fruits to see if more liquor is needed, as the fruits will plump and soak up the liquid.
• Keep the fruit covered in liquor. It is best to allow the fruit to marinate for at least 1 month for best flavor.

HEAP FAMILY CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 150C (300F / Gas mark 2) and line a deep 9 inch (23cm) square tin with a double layer of baking parchment (this should protrude over the top of the edges of the tin).
• Melt the butter over the stove, and mix in the pineapple, mixed fruit, cherries and sugar. These should be kept over a high heat until the mixture begins to boil, and the sugar is completely dissolved. This can take 5 minutes.
• Cool the mixture until it is look warm (or else the eggs will scramble).
• Sift together the two kinds of flour and mixed spice.
• Beat the eggs and the flour mixture into the sugar-fruit mixture.
• Transfer the entire mixture into the lined tin.
• Cut a double piece of brown paper the same size as the tin to act as a lid, with a small air vent in the centre.
• Wrap the outside of the tin in a double layer of baking parchment. This will help to stop the cake from catching.
• Bake for 3 hours (and skewer test to check it is completely done - the skewer should come out clean).

HEAP FAMILY LIGHT CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease and line a glass 2pt basin or use a plastic basin with a ready made lid.
• Soak the orange and lemon rind, grated carrot, cherries and fruit in the spirits for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.
• Mix together the suet, flour, sugar, mixed spice and breadcrumbs.
• Add this to the fruit mix, and beat in 2 eggs.
• Transfer this to the basin, leaving an inch at the top.
• Cover the top of the basin with baking parchment and use the plastic lid or a double layer of foil.
• Steam over a low heat (watching carefully so that it doesn't run out of water!) or in a slow cooker for 7 hours. Alternatively cook for 5 hours when you make it, and then for a further 2 on Christmas day to warm up.