Gingered Christmas Fruitcake With Rustic Decorations

• Produce

  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 30 g Candied peel, mixed
  • 65 g Cranberries, dried
  • 1 handful Cranberries, fresh
  • 100 g Crystallised ginger
  • 50 g Currants
  • 65 g Dates
  • 80 g Figs, dried
  • 50 g Ginger, stem
  • 1 1/2 tsp Ginger, ground
  • 50 g Glace cherries
  • 1 Lemon, Zest of
  • 1 Orange, small
  • 50 g Raisins
  • 2 sprigs Rosemary, Fresh
  • 50 g Sultanas

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg white
  • 2 Egg whites, large
  • 2 Eggs

• Condiments

  • 3 tbsp Apricot jam or marmalade
  • 1 tbsp Ginger syrup, stem
  • 1 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Treacle

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 tsp Cardamom, ground
  • 2 tsp Caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon, ground
  • 1 Cinnamon sticks
  • 1/8 tsp Cloves, ground
  • 1 Granulated sugar
  • 400 g Icing
  • 1 Icing sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Nutmeg, ground
  • 175 g Plain flour
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1 Star anise
  • 140 g Sugar, light brown soft

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 40 g Almonds, ground

• Dairy

  • 140 g (1/3 + 1/4 cups softened butter

• Desserts

  • 500 g Marzipan

• Beer, Wine & Liquor

  • 4 tbsp Ginger wine/rum/brandy/cointreau/sherry

• Other

  • 1 tsp Glycerine (optional, but stops the icing from set rock solid
  • zest of 1 + juice ½ orange
  • a couple of small pine cones

Found on domesticgothess.com

Ingredients

• 80g (2.8oz) dried figs, chopped
• 65g (2.3oz) dried cranberries
• 65g (2.3oz) dates, chopped
• 50g (1.75oz) glace cherries, chopped
• 30g (1oz) mixed candied peel
• 50g (1.75oz) raisins
• 50g (1.75oz) sultanas
• 50g (1.75oz) currants
• 100g (3.5oz) crystallised ginger, chopped
• 50g (1.75oz) stem ginger, finely chopped
• zest of 1 + juice ½ orange
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1tbsp stem ginger syrup
• 4 tbsp ginger wine/rum/brandy/cointreau/sherry (plus extra for feeding)
• 140g (1/3 + ¼ cups) softened butter
• 140g (2/3 cup + 2tbsp) light brown soft sugar
• 1.5 tbsp treacle
• 2 eggs
• 175g (1 + ½ cups) plain flour
• 40g (1/3 cup) ground almonds
• 1½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• pinch salt
• 3 tbsp apricot jam or marmalade
• 500g (17.5oz) marzipan
• 2 large egg whites
• 400g (4 cups) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted
• 1½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp glycerine (optional, but stops the icing from set rock solid)
• 1 small orange
• a couple of small pine cones
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• handful fresh cranberries
• couple sprigs fresh rosemary
• a few bay leaves
• granulated sugar
• cinnamon sticks
• star anise
• icing sugar

Directions

• The day before you want to bake the cake, mix all of the dried fruits together in a large bowl and stir in the orange and lemon zests, orange juice, stem ginger syrup and alcohol, cover and leave to soak overnight.
• The following day, preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Grease a deep 15cm/6in round cake tin and line the base and sides with a double thickness of baking parchment, making sure that it comes a good 10cm above the top of the tin.
• Cream together the butter, sugar and treacle with an electric mixer until pale, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a spoonful of the flour if the mixture looks like it is about to split.
• Sift together the flour, ground almonds, spices and salt then fold into the the creamed mixture followed by the soaked fruit; combine well.
• Scrape the cake mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake for 2 hours to 2 hours 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean; cover with tin foil if it starts to get too dark.
• When the cake is ready, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of your choice of alcohol over the top then leave it to cool completely in the tin. When cold, remove it from the tin and peel off the parchment; wrap in tin foil and store for up to three weeks, feeding it with alcohol a couple of times a week. I stored it for one week before covering it in marzipan, feeding it twice.
• When you are ready to ice the cake, trim the top to level it if necessary, turn it upside down and place it on a cake board or serving platter; use a little of the marzipan to fill in any holes in the cake and gaps between the cake and board. Gently warm the jam in a microwave or in a small pan on the stove until it is runny then brush a thin layer of it all over the cake, avoiding any bits.
• Knead the marzipan a little to warm it up, then roll it out on a surface dusted with icing sugar to a large circle about 5mm thick. Drape the marzipan over the top of the cake, dust your hands with icing sugar and smooth the marzipan over the top and sides to cover the cake completely, working out any folds and wrinkles. Trim to make a neat edge. At this point you can leave the cake to dry out for a couple of days if you like, or proceed straight to making the icing.
• Place the egg whites in a large, very clean bowl and whisk until they are just foamy. Stir in the icing sugar a spoonful at a time with a spatula then add the lemon juice and glycerine if using. Whisk with an electric mixer until it is very thick and white and stands up in stiff peaks.
• Cover the top and sides of the cake with the royal icing, smoothing it with a palette knife. Try to level the top but dont worry about getting it completely smooth, it should be a slightly rough finish. You will probably have a bit of icing left over, it will keep, covered, in the fridge for a week.
• Allow the icing to dry a little before decorating. While it is drying make the dried orange slices. Heat the oven to its lowest setting. Cut the orange into thin slices and lay them on a wire rack; place the rack in the oven and bake for a couple of hours until dried; they will still feel a little bit tacky. remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• To make the sugared cranberries, rosemary and bay leaves, beat the egg white with the 2tsp sugar until just frothy. Pour some granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Dip the cranberries in the egg white and shake off any excess, allow to dry a little then roll in the sugar, place on a tray and leave to dry for at least half an hour; repeat with the rosemary and bay leaves.
• Arrange the pine cones, a couple of the dried orange slices, the sugared cranberries, rosemary and bay leaves and a few cinnamon sticks and star anise on the top of the cake and finally dust with a little icing sugar.