Light Christmas Cake Recipes

LIGHT FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine the raisins, cherries, glazed pineapple, mixed glazed fruit, and citron. Mix well. Stir in the brandy to coat the fruit. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand for about 24 hours to macerate the fruit, stirring occasionally. When ready to mix up the cake, add the coconut and lemon and orange rind. Stir well.
• Prepare 8-inch square fruitcake pan that is 3 inches deep and has a removable bottom: Lightly spray the bottom and sides of the pan with cooking spray. Line the pan (bottom and sides), with brown paper or double thickness of parchment paper. Lightly spray the paper.
• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• In large bowl of stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until mixture is light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure ingredients are all incorporated. Beat 1 additional minute. Beat in the vanilla, almond, and lemon flavorings. Stir in the drained crushed pineapple.
• Sift together 2¾ cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In measuring cup or small bowl, combine the orange and lemon juices along with the reserved ¼ cup of pineapple juice.
• Add the dry and wet ingredients to the beaten butter and sugar mixture in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Transfer batter to a very large bowl.
• Sprinkle reserved cup of flour over the macerated fruit and toss ingredients lightly and quickly. Gently fold the fruit mixture into the batter.
• In clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.
• Transfer batter by large spoonfuls into the prepared baking pan. Use a knife to evenly spread the batter in the pan, smoothing the top. Add a few cherries as decorations to the top of the cake, if desired.
• Place small pan of hot water on the lower rack in the oven. Place fruitcake in center of middle rack and bake for approximately 5 - 5¼ hours or until cake is firm to the touch and cake tester inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. After about an hour or so of baking, loosely tent cake with tin foil to prevent it from browning too much. Remove cake from oven and place on rack. Let cake cool in pan for about 40 minutes before carefully removing from pan by inverting it on a tea towel and removing the paper. Carefully turn the cake top side up on to a wire cooling rack.
• Let cake cool completely before brushing well with brandy and wrapping in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, followed by plastic wrap and tin foil. Store in a sealed plastic bag in a cool, dry area. Remove wrapping and brush cake top and sides with brandy once a week for 2-3 weeks as the cake "ages" before cutting and serving.

MY MOM'S LIGHT CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Mix cherries, peel, fruit and juice together well, and let stand for two days, stirring frequently.
• Add to remaining ingredients, mixing very thoroughly.
• Pour into bread pans, and bake three hours at 300 degrees.
• Enjoy some of the happiness we knew!

CHRISTMAS LIGHT CAKE

Steps:

• Warm the jam in a small pan over a low heat until loosened. Brush the fruitcake all over with half the jam. Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar, then roll the marzipan out into a circle large enough to cover the top and side of the cake - it should be about ½cm thick. Lift the marzipan onto the cake using the rolling pin, then smooth the marzipan down the side and trim away any excess.
• Add a few drops of blue food colouring to the fondant icing, then knead until the fondant is soft and pale blue (see tip, below).
• Brush the marzipan-covered cake all over with the remaining jam. Roll the blue fondant out into a circle large enough to cover the top and side of the cake, then lift onto it using the rolling pin and smooth down the side. Trim away any excess fondant, and smooth out any marks using the palm of your hand. Set aside.
• Mix the icing sugar with 1 tbsp water at a time until you have a thick, pipeable icing (you can use up to 3 tbsp water). Divide the icing between two bowls. Add a few drops of the green food colouring to one of the bowls (leaving one bowl plain), stir to combine, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium round nozzle.
• Pipe wiggly lines of the green icing all the way around the top and side of the cake a few times - this will be the 'wire' for the fairy lights. Use the tip of a cutlery knife or teaspoon to dot a small amount of the plain icing onto the backs of the sugared almonds, then arrange these along the piped green wire so the almonds resemble a string of fairy lights.

LIGHT FRUIT/CHRISTMAS CAKE

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.

AS-YOU-LIKE-IT CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put your chosen dried fruit mixture into a large bowl with your choice of alcohol or tea, citrus zest and juice. Mix well, cover and leave overnight.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter and double-line a deep cake tin - 20cm round or 18cm square - with enough baking parchment to come about 2.5cm above the top of the tin. Wrap the outside of the tin with a few sheets of newspaper, securing with staples or string.
• Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy, then beat in the eggs one by one. Tip in the flour, mixed spice, soaked dried fruit and any liquid from the bowl, plus your chosen nuts, if using. Stir everything together, then scrape into the cake tin. Using the back of your spoon, make a slight dent in the centre of the mixture, then bake for 1½ hrs.
• Reduce oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1, loosely cover the top of the cake with a double sheet of foil or baking parchment, and bake for another 2 ½ - 3 hrs or until a skewer poked right to the bottom comes out clean. Cool in the tin, then lift out and wrap in greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Keep in a cake tin with a tight-fitting lid, or wrapped in a large sheet of foil, in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months. Open the cake every week or two to feed by poking with a skewer in several places and dribbling over a little more of your chosen alcohol or tea.

LIGHT CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare fruit and wash raisins the day before.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Beat until very light.
• Add sifted flour mixed with cardamom and baking powder.
• Add orange juice alternately with the flour a little at a time.
• Dredge fruit with a little extra flour and add to batter.
• Place in 2 loaf pans, lined with brown paper and greased on the inside.
• Bake in 250°F degrees oven 2-3 hours or until done.