Day 5 — Rich Port and Chocolate Christmas Cake Recipe

Today is the fifth day in my 'Twelve Days of Christmas' festive recipes collection.

Though it's really just a little late to prepare this cake (you could just about manage it if you baked tomorrow), I couldn't really not put it up on this blog, as the combination of the classic rich fruitcake with chocolate is just something else.

This cake really is indulgence on a plate, a must for anyone who loves Christmas and anyone who loves chocolate. Kids really tend to love this one and it's a great introduction to Christmas cake for the wary.

Just beware, it really is rich and small pieces go a long way... it keeps well, but by New Year you're unlikely to have much left.

Of course, like all rich, fruited, Christmas cakes this also makes a fabulous base for a birthday or a wedding cake.

Here you can find a link to all the Christmas and all the other Twelve Days of Christmas recipes published on this blog... a true treasure-trove of seasonal dishes.

Rich Port and Chocolate Christmas Cake

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

340g (2 cups) pitted prunes
375g (2 1/2 cups) currants
375g (2 1/2 cups) raisins
300ml (1 1/4 cups) port wine
250g (1 1/4 cups) butter, diced
1 tbsp vanilla extract
200g (1 cup, packed), dark brown sugar
4 eggs
juice of 1 orange
finely-grated zest of 1 orange
80ml treacle (molasses)
180g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
60g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
1 tbsp mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
1 tbsp freshly-grated nutmeg
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
200g (1 1/2 cups) dark cooking chocolate, chopped
250g (2 cups) glacé cherries
200g (2 cups) walnut halves

Method:

Chop the prunes finely then mix in a large bowl with the currants, raisins and 250ml (1 cup) of the port. Cover and set aside to infuse for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, grease a 23cm (9") round springform cake tin with butter then line the base and sides with greaseproof (waxed paper), ensuring that the paper rises 5cm (2 inches) above the rim of the cake tin.

Take brown paper and tie a double layer securely around the sides of the tin (this will help prevent the outside of the cake from baking too quickly).

When the fruit has soaked sufficiently, add the orange zest, orange juice and treacle to the fruit, then stir to combine.

Combine the chopped chocolate, cherries and walnuts in a mixing bowl. Add the sifted flours to the bowl and stir gently to combine.

Finely chop the butter and add to a bowl then beat until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, beating to combine. Add the sugar and cream with the butter until pale and fluffy (ensure that all the sugar has dissolved). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition.

Add the egg and butter mix to the fruit mix, stirring well to combine. Now stir in the flour mixture, stirring well to combine before spooning the batter into the cake tin.

Transfer the cake to an oven pre-heated to 160ºC (310ºF) and bake for between 3 and 3 1/2 hours, or until a skewer inserted in the centre emerges cleanly.

Remove the cake from the oven and pour over 3 tbsp extra port then wrap everything (cake, tin and all) in a clean cloth. Set aside for 24 hours, or until completely cold.

The following day, unwrap the cake then cover in a double layer of greaseproof (waxed) paper, followed by a double layer of kitchen foil. Store in an air-tight tin.

Every week before Christmas, use a skewer to poke several holes in the cake, then pour over a little more port (this is 'feeding' the cake).

A few days before Christmas you should ice the cake. Cover with marmalade or apricot jam then cover with a layer of marzipan (almond cake) before coating in icing.

This is a very rich cake and small pieces go very far.

If you are not fond of the traditional icing, glaze the cake with melted apricot jam, decorate with fruit and nuts, then glaze over the top of everything with more melted jam.

Day 4 — White Eggnog or Advocaat Muffins Recipe

Today is day 4 of my '12 days of Christmas' series of postings. Every day from now until Christmas Eve I will be posting a new Christmas-associated recipe. But as a bonus, I am also providing the recipe for a classic Dutch Christmas drink, Advocaat.

Over the past few days I have provided a number of baking recipe, and today I am continuing with that theme, this time providing a muffin recipe that contains that most Christmasy of drinks, eggnog (this also works with Advocaat).

Considering that this recipe can be made with Advocaat, I have also decided to provide a recipe for the home-made version of that Christmasy drink here too. Advocaat is a Dutch version of eggnog, made with egg yolks, sugar and brandy or rum with just a touch of vanilla extract. It is truly delicious and moreish, but packs more of a punch than most expect.

As well as being used as a drink, or as a flavouring to cakes, as in this recipe, Advocaat can also be served as a topping for ice cream. My wife even likes it instead of custard or white sauce spooned over her Christmas pudding!

Here you can find a link to all the Christmas and all the other Twelve Days of Christmas recipes published on this blog... a true treasure-trove of seasonal dishes.

White Eggnog or Advocaat Muffins

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

360g (3 cups) plain flour
100g sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
1 egg
400ml eggnog or Advocaat (see below for a recipe)
120ml vegetable oil
75g seedless raisins
65g pecan nuts, chopped

Method:

Stir together all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggnog, egg and oil. Turn the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (take care not to over-mix).

Fold in the raisins and pecan nuts, then spoon into greased and lined muffin cups (or papers), filling them no more than 2/3 full.

Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170ºc (350ºF) and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly).

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before storing or serving.

The recipe below is for Advocaat, essentially the Dutch version of eggnogg. In the Netherlands they like their Advocaat very, very, thick (almost like yoghurt in consistency). I like mine just a little thinner than this (thick but still pourable, if you like).

Advocaat Recipe

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

10 egg yolks

1/2 tsp sea salt

265g (1 1/3 cups) white sugar

360ml (1 1/2 cups) brandy or cognac

2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until thick, pale and creamy.

Whilst beating constantly, slowly trickle in the brandy or cognac until completely combined.

Pour the resultant mixture into a saucepan, place over low heat and warm gently, still whisking constantly. You have to be careful here as you do not want the Advocaat to boil. Rather, you want to heat gently so that the mixture thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon.

As soon as the Advocaat mixture reaches this stage, take the pan off the heat then whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into bottles and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for a few days. Serve in wide-brimmed cocktail glasses.

When mixed with whipped cream and dusted with cocoa powder, you create the decadent Dutch dessert known as Tokkelroom.

UPDATE! My new recipes book eBook: Cupcakes, Muffins, Fairy Cakes and More — Baking Secrets has just been published in an edition for Amazon Kindle!

This recipe and over 360 other recipes for cupcakes, muffins and other small cakes can be found in this eBook.

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Not only do you get all the recipes, but there are over 50 illustrations throughout the book. You also get a history of cupcakes and muffins, showing how they evolved from British muffins and crumpets to become an American phenomenon.

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Day 3 – Christmas Fruited Quickbread Recipe

Today is the third day in my countdown to Christmas — Day 3 of my 'Twelve Days of Christmas'. Today I have a very interesting recipe for a light cake or pudding that can be served as an alternate Christmas cake.

The recipe is a fusion of my mother's recipe for a quick boiled pudding, known in Welsh as 'pwdin fwrdd-a-hi' (away you go pudding) and a classic muffin-type quickbread that yileds a rather wonderful and moist cake with a firm crust that is excellent served with coffee. This makes a rather fantastic Christmas morning day treat that can be prepared the day before.

Also, if you are looking for something lighter than the traditional Christmas cake (and which is much quicker to make), then why not try this festive cranberry and orange quickbread instead? This also makes an excellent Christmas gift.

If you put the same mixture in a pudding bowl and steam for 3 hours, you also get a light Christmas pudding. So here are two separate recipes in one.

Here you can find a link to all the Christmas and all the other Twelve Days of Christmas recipes published on this blog... a true treasure-trove of seasonal dishes.

Christmas Fruited Quickbread Recipe

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

180g (1 1/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

65g (1/2 cup) fine maize meal

150g (3/4 cup) sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)

60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil

freshly-grated zest of 1/2 orange

180ml (3/4 cup) orange juice

1 egg

100g (1 cup) fresh cranberries, chopped

2 firm, medium-sized red plums, diced

50g nuts, chopped (optional)

For the Glaze:

1 tbsp orange juice

120g powdered sugar, sifted

extra orange juice, as needed

Method:

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour mix with your fingertips until well combined.

Stir in the orange zest along with the orange juice and egg, mixing until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Add the cranberries, plum pieces and nuts (if using) and stir to combine.

For the Cake:

Turn the batter (this will be thick) into loaf tin, the base of which has been greased with butter. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C (350°F) and bake for between 55 and 75 minutes (depending on the size of your tin), or until the top is lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When cold, prepare the glaze. Mix together the orange juice and powdered sugar in a bowl. Then add more orange juice, a little at a time, until you have a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cake then set aside to harden.

Slice and serve.

For the Pudding:

Turn the batter into a greased pudding bowl. Cover either with a lid or with a sheet of greaseproof (waxed) paper. Cover with a double layer of kitchen foil and tie securely in place.

Sit the pudding either on a trivet or on an upturned saucer in a large cooking pot. Pour in boiling water to come half way up the sides of the pudding. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a lid and steam for 3 hours (top-up the water levels as needed).

When cooked, remove the pudding from the pan and allow to cool for a few minutes. Carefully invert onto a serving plate and serve with cream, custard or brandy butter sauce.

Day 2 — Christmas Cardamom Butter Cookies

Two Turtle Doves:

Today is the second day of my 'Twelve Days of Christmas' countdown of Christmas-associated recipes on this blog. For me, as well as Christmas cake, Christmas Pudding and Christmas candies, Christmas is also intimately associated with home-made biscuits (cookies). For my second Christmas posting of twelve, I am giving my own adaptation of a classic Scandinavian cookie (biscuit) flavoured with cardamom.

Indeed, Christmas would not be Christmas without biscuits and cookies of various types, to today, for the second ay of my countdown to Christmas I have a recipe for a classic Christmas-associated cookie.

The use of cardamom, especially during Christmas time is a feature of Scandinavia and the antecedent of this recipe comes from Denmark. Though it may not be as important a seasonal spice as Nutmeg, Cloves, Cinnamon or Allspice, the use of cardamom in cookery is interesting, and I invariably add it to my own mulled Christmas wine or cider.

Here you can find a link to all the Christmas and all the other Twelve Days of Christmas recipes published on this blog... a true treasure-trove of seasonal dishes.

Christmas Cardamom Butter Cookies

Serves: 24

Ingredients:

250g (2 cups) plain flour
1/8 tsp salt
5 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
50g slivered almonds
6 tbsp powdered sugar
slivered almonds, to garnish (about 48)

Method:

Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and 2 tsp of the ground cardamom until light and fluffy.

Add the flour and combine with the butter mix until thoroughly mixed. Stir in  the slivered almonds then tale tablespoons of the dough an roll into balls.

Mix together the powdered sugar and remaining cardamom. Roll the cookie balls in this mixture to coat thoroughly all over.

Arrange on a greased baking tray, then dip the base of a small glass in powdered sugar and use to press the cookies down to about 12mm thick (ensure the cookies are at least 1.5cm apart).

Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 14 minutes, or until cooked through and very lightly browned.

Allow to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sore in an air-tight container. These biscuits also freeze well and will keep for at least 2 months.

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This is the largest collection of traditional and modern Christmas and Christmas-based recipes ever assembled. With over 500 Christmas and Christmas-themed recipes divided into all the classic dish types as well as recipe suggestions on using up those Christmas leftovers.

You get chapters on Christmas baing, the Christmas feast itself, accompaniments, sauces, edible gifts, sweets and candies, puddings, biscuits, cakes, accompaniments and much more.

No only are traditional Christma recipes, but thare are also other classic Christmas dishes sourced from around the globe.

The book finishes with a section on making the most of your Christmas left overs, with everything from using up the last of the turkey and roast vegetables to uses for left-over Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.

Every classic and traditional curry type is dealt with in this ebook! Get you copy today and help this blog and the Celtnet Recipes website keep going.

Day 1 — Mincemeat Christmas Cake Recipe

As promised, today I am beginning my 'twelve days of Christmas' recipes section on this blog. Over the next twelve days you will get all the recipes that you need to make your Christmas foods fantastic. 

There will be traditional recipes, new recipes and 'cheat' recipes that will allow you to prepare traditional recipes even if you only have a week left until Christmas.

The recipe presented here is one of these 'cheat' recipes. It uses mincemeat to allow you to prepare a Christmas cake even if it's only a few days before Christmas. Indeed, the problem with most Christmas cakes is that they take weeks to mature. However, even if you have not prepared your own Christmas cake, all is not yet lost.

You can actually make a rich fruit Christmas cake based on mincemeat that only needs a few days to mature (a week is best, but this can actually be made just 4 days before Christmas).

Here you can find a link to all the Christmas and all the other Twelve Days of Christmas recipes published on this blog... a true treasure-trove of seasonal dishes.

Mincemeat Christmas Cake Recipe

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

450g (1 lb) mincemeat (either home-made or shop-bought)
240g (2 cups) plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
150g (3/4 cup, packed) dark brown sugar
150g (3/4 cup) butter
180g (2 cups) mixed dried fruit
finely-grated zest of 1 orange
finely-grated zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs
120g (1 cup) ground almonds

Method:

To prepare, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.

Grease a 20cm (8 in) diameter springform cake tin and line with greaseproof (waxed) paper, ensuring the the paper comes up 5cm (2 in) above the sides of the tin.

Wrap a double layer of brown paper around the tin and tie securely with string (this helps prevent the outside of the cake from burning).

Smooth the top, then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 3) and bake for about 80 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly.

Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Wrap in greaseproof (waxed) paper and a sheet of kitchen foil and keep in an air-tight tin. This is best if allowed to matur for 1 week before serving, but can be served within 4 days.

The cake can be served plain, or it can be decorated as you would any Christmas cake (spread over melted marmalade or apricot jam, cover with marzipan [almond paste] and finally cover with icing).

For the effect seen here, cover the cake with white marzipan (almond paste) and decorate with marzipan shapes, then dust with icing sugar. Place under a hot grill (broiler) and allow to colour slightly.

Find more Christmas Recipes on the Celtnet recipes site.

This recipe is adapted, with permission, from the Celtnet Recipes website recipe for Mincemeat Christmas Cake.

UPDATE! My Big Book of Christmas Recipes recipes book has just been published in a completely new and revised edition for Amazon Kindle!

This is the largest collection of traditional and modern Christmas and Christmas-based recipes ever assembled. With over 500 Christmas and Christmas-themed recipes divided into all the classic dish types as well as recipe suggestions on using up those Christmas leftovers.

You get chapters on Christmas baing, the Christmas feast itself, accompaniments, sauces, edible gifts, sweets and candies, puddings, biscuits, cakes, accompaniments and much more.

No only are traditional Christma recipes, but thare are also other classic Christmas dishes sourced from around the globe.

The book finishes with a section on making the most of your Christmas left overs, with everything from using up the last of the turkey and roast vegetables to uses for left-over Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.

Every classic and traditional curry type is dealt with in this ebook! Get you copy today and help this blog and the Celtnet Recipes website keep going.

Eggnog Bundt Cake Recipe

As it really is the run-up to Christmas now and there is less than a fortnight remaining, I am going to be adding a whole slew of Christmas and Christmas-associated recipes to this blog. Tomorrow I will be beginning the countdown to Christmas properly with my own advent calendar, based on the Twelve Days of Christmas (and I know that the 'twelve days of Christmas' counts forward from Christmas day, including the traditional festive season), but you need to know about Christmas food before Christmas, so I am starting tomorrow.

Of course eggnog is one of the classic flavours of Christmas and this easy to make cake (based on a yellow cake mix) is both easy to bake and very tasty. It even works as a substitute Christmas cake if you have not made a rich fruit cake this year.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and do come back for the Twelve Days of Christmas, starting tomorrow and finishing on Christmas Eve.

Eggnog Bundt Cake

Serves: 24

Ingredients:

1 batch home-made yellow cake mix (or an 18 oz box of yellow cake mix)
60ml vegetable oil
3 eggs
300ml eggnog
1 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg

For the Glaze:

300g powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp eggnog
slivered almonds, to garnish

Method:

Grease the sides and base of a bundt (ring mould) pan with butter.

In a bowl, combine the dry cake mix with the oil, egg and nutmeg then beat in the eggnog. Turn into the bundt pan then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170ºC (350ºF) and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

For the eggnog glaze, mix together the powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl. Work in the eggnog until you have a just spreadable consistency. Spread the glaze over the cake, scatter over the slivered almonds then set aside for the icing (frosting) to harden before storing or serving.

UPDATE! My Big Book of Christmas Recipes recipes book has just been published in a completely new and revised edition for Amazon Kindle!

This is the largest collection of traditional and modern Christmas and Christmas-based recipes ever assembled. With over 500 Christmas and Christmas-themed recipes divided into all the classic dish types as well as recipe suggestions on using up those Christmas leftovers.

You get chapters on Christmas baing, the Christmas feast itself, accompaniments, sauces, edible gifts, sweets and candies, puddings, biscuits, cakes, accompaniments and much more.

No only are traditional Christma recipes, but thare are also other classic Christmas dishes sourced from around the globe.

The book finishes with a section on making the most of your Christmas left overs, with everything from using up the last of the turkey and roast vegetables to uses for left-over Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.

Every classic and traditional curry type is dealt with in this ebook! Get you copy today and help this blog and the Celtnet Recipes website keep going.

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake Recipe

I talked a little about comfort food yesterday. Today's recipe is both comfort food and indulgence rolled into one — a must for any chocaholic out there. A rich chocolate cheesecake topped with chocolate cream topping served on a chocolate wafer crumb base.

What could be more indulgent than that. Of course, this is great any time, but decorated with dried or stewed cranberries it makes a wonderful treat of a Christmas recipe. If you garnish with a sprig of mint, then it also makes a superb recipe for an Easter tea-time treat.

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

For the Base:

180g (1 1/2 cups) chocolate wafer crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
50g (4 tbsp) butter, melted

For the Filling:

4 tbsp dark chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp whipping cream
660g (24 oz) cream cheese, softened
200g (1 cup) sugar
40g (1/3 cup) baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Topping:

150g (1 1/2 cups) dark chocolate, chopped
4 tbsp whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

For the base, combine the wafer crumbs and sugar in a small bowl. Stir in the butter, then press the mixture into the base and half-way up the sides of a greases 22cm diameter springform cake tin.

Transfer to the centre of an oven pre-heated to 170ºC and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool. In the meantime, reduce the oven temperature to 160ºC.

Melt the chocolate for the filling in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Take the pan off the heat then stir in the cream, beating to combine. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Sift over the cocoa powder and beat well to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until completely incorporated into the cream cheese mixture. Finally stir in the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and cream mixture.

Pour the resultant filling over the crust then return to the oven and bake for between 45 and 50 minutes, or until the filling is cooked and its centre is almost completely set.

For the topping, melt the chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Take off the heat and stir in the cream and vanilla. Mix well to combine the spread this mixture over the filling. Allow to cool then transfer to the refrigerator and chill over night.

The following day, carefully run a knife around the edges of the pan. Remove the sides of the pan and transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate.

Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

UPDATE! My Big Book of Christmas Recipes recipes book has just been published in a completely new and revised edition for Amazon Kindle!

This is the largest collection of traditional and modern Christmas and Christmas-based recipes ever assembled. With over 500 Christmas and Christmas-themed recipes divided into all the classic dish types as well as recipe suggestions on using up those Christmas leftovers.

You get chapters on Christmas baing, the Christmas feast itself, accompaniments, sauces, edible gifts, sweets and candies, puddings, biscuits, cakes, accompaniments and much more.

No only are traditional Christma recipes, but thare are also other classic Christmas dishes sourced from around the globe.

The book finishes with a section on making the most of your Christmas left overs, with everything from using up the last of the turkey and roast vegetables to uses for left-over Christmas pudding and Christmas cake.

Every classic and traditional curry type is dealt with in this ebook! Get you copy today and help this blog and the Celtnet Recipes website keep going.