Baking Weekend

No not the weather, although it has been reasonably warm the last few days.  A couple of weekends ago the weather wasn't so good and I had still not made my Christmas cake, I also had lots of recipes I had been collecting to try out, here they are;

Christmas Cake
I have been making this Christmas cake for about six years, it is very moist and very easy. Taken from BBC GoodFood Magazine, December 2006.

Ingredients;
200ml/7 fl oz hot, strong black tea
3 tbsp whiskey
3 tbsp orange marmalade
700g/1 lb 9 oz mixed dried fruit
100g/4 oz mixed peel
100g/4 oz glace cherries
225g/8 oz butter
225g/8 oz golden caster sugar
4 eggs, beaten
225g/8 oz plain flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp caster sugar
50ml/2 fl oz hot black tea
1 tbsp whiskey

1. Mix the hot tea, whiskey and marmalade in a large bowl until the marmalade melts.  Stir in all of the dried fruit, peel and cherries, then cover and leave to soak overnight.
2. Next day, heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and grease and double-line a 20cm round, deep cake tin with non-stick baking paper (or use a silicon mould). Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition, then fold in the flour and spices, followed by the lemon zest and soaked fruit.  Add any liquid that hasn't been absorbed by the fruit. Spoon into prepared tin, level the top, then back for 1 1/2 hrs. Turn the oven down to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1 and bake for another 1 1/2 hrs or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack in the tin.
3. While the cake is still warm, use the skewer to pepper the cake with holes, poking it in all the way down.  Dissolve the sugar in the tea, add the whisky then spoon over the surface.  If you're making the cake ahead of time, feed it with fresh hot toddy or whiskey each week, but take care not to make it too soggy.  Can be kept for a month well-wrapped in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.  If short on time, the cake can be made the same day that you decorate it. (I think this is what encouraged me to make it in the first place, I am always short of time!

Picture to follow when I have decorated the cake.

Rum and Raisin Muffins
These have got to be the easiest muffins ever, and they rise well, even in my oven.  Based on a recipe for Blueberry and White Chocolate Muffins taken from the BBC GoodFood website.

Ingredients;
150g plain flour
50g golden caster sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
50g butter, melted and cooled
90ml milk
10ml rum flavouring
140g raisins

1. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a 6-hole muffin tin with paper cases, or use silicone muffin cases.
2. Mix the flour, caster sugar, baking powder and salt together.
3. Mix the egg, melted butter, milk and rum flavouring into the dry ingredients with the raisins.
4. Divide between thecases and bake for 25 mins until risen and golden.