I've set myself a challenge this year and that is to take part in Vlogmas.
Vlogmas in a YouTube event that sees vloggers upload a video everyday in December. Some people do all of December, other do up to Christmas Day. I'm not sure what I will be doing yet, I'll see how it goes.
Our first vlogmas video is how to make a Christmas cake.
This year we are using Mary Berry's recipe. We love Mary Berry, but the problem is, I don't do any cooking, EVER!
My husband Mark likes to do all the cooking at home. But I have made a Christmas cake in the past using a Be-Ro recipe, so I thought I would give this one a go.
Here is our video of me and my son Jacob making the Christmas cake. We hope you enjoy it.
It would be great if you could subscribe to our channel.
Recipe below.
Ingredients
175g (6 oz) raisins
350g (12 oz) glace cherries, rinsed, thoroughly dried and quartered
500g (1lb 2oz) currants
350g (12oz) sultanas
150ml (¼ pint) sherry, plus extra for feeding
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
250g (9oz) butter, softened
250g (9oz) light muscovado sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp black treacle
75g (3oz) blanched almonds, chopped
75g (3oz) self-raising flour
175g (6oz) plain flour
1½ tsp mixed spice
To finish and decorate Mary Berry's Christmas cake:
About 3tbsp apricot jam, sieved and warmed
Icing sugar
675g shop-bought almond paste
Packet royal icing mix to cover 23cm/9in cake
Method
1. Put all the dried fruit in a container, pour over the sherry and stir in the orange zest. Cover with a lid, and leave to soak for 3 days, stirring daily. Grease and line a 23cm (9in) deep round tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 140C, 120C fan, gas 1.
2. Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle and almonds into a very large bowl and beat well. Add the flours and mixed spice and mix thoroughly until blended. Stir in the soaked fruit. Spoon into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
3. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 4-4½ hours or until the cake feels firm to the touch and is a rich golden brown. Check after 2 hours, and, if the cake is a perfect colour, cover with foil. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
4. When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little extra sherry. Wrap the completely cold cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil and store in a cool place for up to 3 months, feeding at intervals with more sherry. (Don't remove the lining paper when storing as this helps to keep the cake moist.)
5. Decorate with almond paste and royal icing.
To prepare the Christmas cake ahead: Prepare the fruit and soak in sherry 3 days ahead - this is essential to plump up and flavour the fruit. Make the cake and wrap as in stage 4. Store in a cool place for up to 3 months, following stage 4. You could also freeze the cake before decorating, for up to 3 months; defrost at room temperature. Recipe taken from Mary Berry's Christmas Collection, available from Amazon, RRP £17.00 (Headline RRP £20.00)
