PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
- Messages
- 108,009
Bourbon Christmas Cake
I got this recipe from my aunt in San Diego. I expect that most of you might already have a version of this recipe already. It will take at least 2 or 3 days to complete, with soaking the fruit and with soaking the cake.
My Starting Ingredients:
and
Combine the cherries, raisins and bourbon in a large mixing bowl.
Cover and let stand in the refrigerator at least overnight. I soaked mine for 3 nights.
Drain the fruit and reserve the bourbon.
Place the softened butter in a (very) large bowl and add the white and brown sugar.
Mix until light and fluffy.
I like to hand whisk this cake it is very labour intensive; because of the quantity; but there is something about Christmas time that brings out the nostalgia in me. Most sane people would use an electric beater.
Add egg yolks and beat in. I add them 2 at a time and continue until all 8 egg yolks have been incorporated into the mix.
Add the nutmeg and cinnamon and mix in.
Combine about ¼ cup flour with the pecans. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt. Add about 2 cups of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat in.
Add some of the reserved bourbon to the mix
and continue to add the flour and bourbon in alternating batches, ending with flour. Beat well after each addition.
Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. I take this to mean soft peaks!
Fold the egg whites gently into the cake batter.
Add the drained fruits and floured pecans to the cake batter .
.and mix. For this reason Ive never figured out why I fold the egg whites into the batter! I have made this cake by just adding the whole egg to the creamed butter and sugar without separation. Maybe its me .but Ive never really worked out the difference.
Youll end up with a lot of cake batter.
I end up with 2 standard loaf tins and about 6 small tins out of this batch. The tins have all been lined with baking paper.
Bake in the oven at 275 F (or somewhere between 135 C and 150 C). The small tins take about 90 minutes to cook and the loaf tins take about 120 150 minutes to cook. Test with a cake tester to make sure it comes out clean. If not, place back in oven for another 10 minutes and re-test.
Cool cakes in pan on a cake rack for 2 3 hours.
Remove the cakes from pans and peel off the paper. Wrap the cakes in cheesecloth or muslin, saturated with more bourbon.
Wrap with cling film and leave overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, unwrap the cakes and re-saturate the cheesecloth/muslin with more bourbon.
Re-wrap the cakes with the muslin and cling film; then wrap them in aluminium foil.
The cakes are then placed in my freezer for at least 1 month. They do keep in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Enjoy!
I got this recipe from my aunt in San Diego. I expect that most of you might already have a version of this recipe already. It will take at least 2 or 3 days to complete, with soaking the fruit and with soaking the cake.
My Starting Ingredients:
- Whole Red Glace Cherries, 2 cups (Ive used about 500 g because I love the hit from the cherries)
- White Seedless Raisens (Sultanas), 2 cups (Ive used about 350 g)
- Bourbon, 2 cups
and
- Butter, 2 cups softened (Ive used about 450 g)
- White or Castor Sugar, 2 cups (Ive used about 450 g)
- Brown Sugar, 2 cups (Ive used about 375 g)
- Eggs, 8 separated
- All Purpose Flour, 5 cups (Ive used about 675 g)
- Pecan halves, 4 cups (Ive used about 500 g)
- Baking Powder, 1½ teaspoon
- Ground Nutmeg, 2 teaspoon
- Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
- Salt, 1 teaspoon
Combine the cherries, raisins and bourbon in a large mixing bowl.
Cover and let stand in the refrigerator at least overnight. I soaked mine for 3 nights.
Drain the fruit and reserve the bourbon.
Place the softened butter in a (very) large bowl and add the white and brown sugar.
Mix until light and fluffy.
I like to hand whisk this cake it is very labour intensive; because of the quantity; but there is something about Christmas time that brings out the nostalgia in me. Most sane people would use an electric beater.
Add egg yolks and beat in. I add them 2 at a time and continue until all 8 egg yolks have been incorporated into the mix.
Add the nutmeg and cinnamon and mix in.
Combine about ¼ cup flour with the pecans. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt. Add about 2 cups of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat in.
Add some of the reserved bourbon to the mix
and continue to add the flour and bourbon in alternating batches, ending with flour. Beat well after each addition.
Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. I take this to mean soft peaks!
Fold the egg whites gently into the cake batter.
Add the drained fruits and floured pecans to the cake batter .
.and mix. For this reason Ive never figured out why I fold the egg whites into the batter! I have made this cake by just adding the whole egg to the creamed butter and sugar without separation. Maybe its me .but Ive never really worked out the difference.
Youll end up with a lot of cake batter.
I end up with 2 standard loaf tins and about 6 small tins out of this batch. The tins have all been lined with baking paper.
Bake in the oven at 275 F (or somewhere between 135 C and 150 C). The small tins take about 90 minutes to cook and the loaf tins take about 120 150 minutes to cook. Test with a cake tester to make sure it comes out clean. If not, place back in oven for another 10 minutes and re-test.
Cool cakes in pan on a cake rack for 2 3 hours.
Remove the cakes from pans and peel off the paper. Wrap the cakes in cheesecloth or muslin, saturated with more bourbon.
Wrap with cling film and leave overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, unwrap the cakes and re-saturate the cheesecloth/muslin with more bourbon.
Re-wrap the cakes with the muslin and cling film; then wrap them in aluminium foil.
The cakes are then placed in my freezer for at least 1 month. They do keep in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Enjoy!
I went to the Vic Market yesterday and ordered a turkey breast roll from the chicken shop for Christmas. They usually sell turkeys and also make the breast rolls....deboned, rolled and netted up. There are only 4 adults partaking in Christmas lunch at my place so there really isn't any point in getting a whole turkey.
If not, it's back to shopping I go. 
But we're almost done!
Congratulations on winning state!!!
Why haven't I had this before?
