Noel Cake Recipes

BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whip cream, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until thick and stiff. Refrigerate.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale. Blend in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and salt. In large glass bowl, using clean beaters, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until whites form stiff peaks. Immediately fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Dust a clean dishtowel with confectioners' sugar. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and turn the warm cake out onto the towel. Remove and discard parchment paper. Starting at the short edge of the cake, roll the cake up with the towel. Cool for 30 minutes.
• Unroll the cake, and spread the filling to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll the cake up with the filling inside. Place seam side down onto a serving plate, and refrigerate until serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

MAKE & MATURE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put 1kg mixed dried fruit, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 150ml brandy or other alcohol, 250g softened butter and 200g light, soft brown sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat.
• Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside - tie with string to secure.
• Add 175g plain flour, 100g ground almonds, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 100g flaked almonds, 4 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
• Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.
• Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
• To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in cling film. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it.
• Don't feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine cherries, citrus peel, raisins, currants, dates, and almonds. Stir in brandy; let stand 2 hours, or overnight. Dredge soaked fruit with 1/2 cup flour.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease an 8x8x3 inch fruit cake pan, line with parchment paper, and grease again. In a small bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter until light. Gradually blend in brown sugar and eggs. Mix together molasses and apple juice. Beat into butter mixture alternately with flour mixture, making 4 dry and 3 liquid additions. Fold in floured fruit. Turn batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Remove from pan, and lift off paper. Cool cake completely, then wrap loosely in waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

STUMP DE NOEL CAKE

Steps:

• Put the cake on a slightly larger lazy Susan or cardboard cake plate.
• Frost the top of the cake: Mix approximately three-quarters of the dulce de leche with 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting; transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (this will be your darker frosting). Mix the remaining dulce de leche with the remaining 3/4 cup vanilla frosting; transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (this will be your lighter frosting).
• Starting in the center of the cake, pipe concentric circles of the darker frosting out to about a 2-inch circle. Using a small offset spatula, spread out the frosting to about a 3-inch circle.
• With the lighter frosting, pipe concentric circles around the 3-inch circle, leaving about a 1-inch margin around the edge of the cake. Using a clean offset spatula, smooth the lighter frosting to the edge of the cake, so the entire top of the cake is covered. Smooth everything with a clean offset spatula.
• Line the point of a cake comb with the center of the cake and slowly rotate the cake to create concentric tree rings. When the lines of the circle meet, gently lift the comb (if you don't have a cake comb, this effect can be recreated using the tines of a fork).
• Make the chocolate bark: Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and set aside.
• Separately melt the dark and milk chocolates over a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour the dark chocolate over the prepared baking sheet, using an offset spatula to spread to the width of the baking sheet but not smoothing out the chocolate. Drizzle the melted milk chocolate on top. Using the edge of a small offset spatula or a butter knife, make vertical lines and swirls running through the chocolate to create the look of tree bark. Be sure to apply various levels of pressure as the offset spatula is pulled through the chocolate to create a textured look. Let cool at room temperature until firmly set, at least 30 minutes.
• Break the chocolate into large vertical pieces of varying heights to form pieces of bark. Use these pieces to cover the sides of the cake.
• Make the berry mushrooms: Roll 1/2-inch pieces of marzipan between your fingers into stem shapes, making them wider at the base so they can stand upright. Place a stem inside the hollow of each raspberry and strawberry, using a skewer to secure the marzipan to the fruit if needed and to secure them down into the cake. Make mushrooms of various sizes and shapes to give a more natural effect and use the mushrooms to decorate the tops and sides of the cake, pressing gently to adhere the marzipan to the surface.
• Make the pistachio moss and marshmallow stones: Put the pistachios in a mini food processor and add approximately 8 drops each of the green and yellow food coloring. Pulse the food processor to chop the pistachios to a coarse grind the texture of moss. Adjust the food coloring as needed to achieve the desired color. Spoon the moss around the cake plate alongside the bottom of the cake.
• Mix the mini marshmallows and cocoa in a small bowl. Rough up the marshmallows between your fingers to create texture, shaking off the excess cocoa powder. Add the stones to the base of the cake on the pistachio moss.
• Using a fine-mesh strainer, shake confectioners' sugar over the top of the cake, creating a snowy effect.

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.