So in the next couple of posts, I am going to take you through the process of making an Irish Christmas cake one day at a time. I don’t always make this. I am kind of going all out to make this year special and it is so much better homemade than any fruit cake you will buy from the store. I like to start mine on stir up day when I put together my mincemeat for the mince pies.
Christmas Cake: Soaking the Ingredients
Ingredients
- 450 g (1 lb) sultanas or golden raisins
- 225 g (1/2 lb) raisins
- 225 g (1/2 lb) currants
- 100 g (4 oz) glacé cherries, halved or whole, not chopped
- 50g (2 oz) mixed peel, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 apple peeled and shredded
- 100 g (3 oz) sliced or slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon cherry syrup from making the cherries or 1 tbsp Golden Syrup
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 4 tablespoons Irish Whiskey (give or take)
Directions
- Put the fruit, spices, and almonds in a bowl that has a tight fitting lid.
- Zest and juice the lemon and the orange. Chop the zest finely adding the zest and the juice to the mixture in the bowl.
- Add the syrup and the whiskey and stir until it is mixed together well.
- Put the lid on the pan and let it sit overnight.
Domestic Medicine 