Fig, port and star anise Christmas cake recipe
All the flavours of Christmas combine in this deliciously moreish cake; make it up to a few months ahead for the best flavour. It’s one for those who would rather forego marzipan and icing, and is to be eaten in slivers at any time, with a glass of port and a slice of Lancashire cheese. Be sure to use the very best quality ready-to-eat dried fruits that you can afford.
Ingredients
- 140 ml port, plus 2–3 tbsp to feed the cake
- 3 star anise
- 500 g dried figs, roughly chopped
- 300 g dates, roughly chopped
- 300 g prunes, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp treacle
- 1 organic orange and 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest
- 1 tbsp mixed spice
- 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 250 g unsalted butter, really soft, plus more for the tin
- 200 g pecans
- 100 g hazelnuts
- 160 g dark muscovado sugar
- 6 eggs, lightly beaten
- 170 g self-raising flour, sifted
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp apricot jam
- 2 tbsp brandy
- 9 dried figs, 22 dates, 20 prunes, 22 pecans and 5 star anise
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Cake
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 150 mins
- Serves: 25
Step-by-step
- The day before making the cake, pour the port into a pan with the star anise. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and leave for a good few hours to infuse. Place the figs, dates and prunes in a large bowl with the treacle, zests, mixed spice, nutmeg and port (removing the star anise). Stir, cover and leave overnight.
- The next day, butter and line the sides and base of 23cm square, 7.5cm deep tin (do not use a loose-based tin) with baking parchment. Wrap brown paper round the tin and tie with string. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Put the nuts on a baking tray and cook for 10 minutes, until toasted. Cool and chop. Place a tray of hot water (large enough to hold the cake tin) in the oven. In a food mixer, beat the butter and sugar for at least five minutes, until pale and creamy. Mix in the eggs slowly, adding 1 tbsp of flour to stop the mixture curdling. Using a large spoon, fold in the remaining flour, the salt, the fruits and their liquid, and the nuts. Fold together and tip into the tin.
- Place in the water-filled tray and bake for 2–2½ hours, or until a skewer comes out almost clean with a couple of crumbs on it. If the top is browning before it is cooked, protect with foil (see page 50). Cool in the tin, on a wire rack. When cold, prick all over with a skewer and sprinkle over the extra port. Wrap in baking parchment and then in foil, and leave for at least a few weeks.
- A week before Christmas, bring the jam and brandy to the boil, push through a sieve and brush most of it over the cake. Decorate with dried fruits and nuts, glazing with more jam.
Recipe from Seasonal Baking by Fiona Cairns, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson £25