圣诞酒香杂果蛋糕 (Traditional Christmas Cake)

圣诞的脚步越来越近，献上这富有浓浓圣诞气息的传统蛋糕。

把安家的喜悦，散发于大家，

预祝各位有个美好快乐的圣诞节。

With Christmas just around the corner, I felt like sharing this very Christmassy cake for everyone to share in this festive joy. Wishing everyone an early Merry Christmas!

去年圣诞，人在悉尼，

偶然在一本杂志看到这漂亮的圣诞干果蛋糕。

深深的被吸引，就决定明年的今日，把它变出来。

Last year's Christmas, my family and I were in Sydney. I was browsing when I saw this beautiful Christmas fruit cake in a magazine and made up my mind to bring it into existence this year.

 内涵十足，丰富的干果，香醇的rum酒；加上高雅的翻糖装饰。

如果把它列在圣诞餐的菜单当中，肯定会引起你的宾客的赞赏。

With its variety of dried fruits, aromatic rum and elegant fondant decoration, this cake will definitely look good on your Christmas menu!

Traditional Christmas Cake

Ingredients :
500g mixed dried fruit
1/4 cup mixed peel
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
50g glace cherries
1/2 cup brandy or rum
125g butter at room temperature.chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self- raising flour 
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp mixed spice 
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts

Topping :
500g ready-made white icing (fondant)
1/4 cup apricot jam
some cachous

Method :
1. Mix the dried fruits and rum until even. Cover with cling wrap and set aside for at least 4 hours.
2. Lightly grease an 7 inch tin and line the base and side with baking paper, extending the paper 4-5cm above the top. Wrap a triple layer of brown paper or newspaper around the tin and secure with kitchen string.
3. Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Pour the batter into the bowl containing the fruits, then sieve in the powder ingredients. Fold together, then fold in the walnuts.
4. Pour batter into the tin and tap the tin a few times to get rid of air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 3 hours or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack.
5. Turn the cooled cake upside down and plug the big gaps on the surface with fondant icing. Warm apricot jam in a pan or microwave and sieve to remove solids. Brush the jam all over the cake.
6. Roll out the fondant icing on a lightly dusted surface until about 5-7mm thick. Place it over the cake and smooth it out with your hands. Use a small sharp knife to cut off any excess icing.
7. Roll out the excess icing until 3mm thick and cut out 1.5cm wide strips. Use them to decorate the cake as shown, then press some cachous into the strips. Secure a ribbon around the cake with pins and you're done.

I am submitting this to the "Cook & Celebrate: Christmas 2014" event hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat your Heart Out, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe.

@@@@@  圣诞月快乐！  @@@@@@
Happy Christmas Month!