Simple ivy cake
This simple yet elegant cake makes the perfect table centrepiece for Christmas
Difficulty and servings
Makes a 20cm round cake, cuts into 16 slices
Preparation and cooking times
Prep 1 hr 15 mins
Cook 1 hr - 2 hrs
Undecorated cake can be frozen
- Tip the sugar, butter, dried fruit, whole cherries, ginger, orange zest and juice into a large pan. Pour over the rum, brandy or juice, then put on the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring frequently to melt the butter. Reduce the heat and bubble gently, uncovered for 10 mins, stirring every now and again to make sure the mixture doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan. Set aside for 30 mins to cool.
- Stir the nuts, eggs and ground almonds into the fruit, then sift in the flour, baking powder and spices. Stir everything together gently but thoroughly. Your batter is ready.
- Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Butter and line a 20cm round tin with baking paper. Spoon the cake mix into the tin and level the top with a spoon dipped into boiling water. Bake for 45 mins, then turn the oven down to 140C/120C fan/gas 1 and bake for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins more or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. The un-iced cake will keep wrapped in foil for 2 months or will freeze for 1 year.
- To decorate the cake, thickly roll out the ready-to-roll icing on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar and stamp out ivy shapes with a cutter. Leave for a few hrs or overnight on baking paper to dry, then rub the surface of the leaves with some of the gold or silver lustre.
- Brush the top and sides of the fruit cake liberally with apricot jam, then drape the marzipan over the cake. Smooth over the surface with your hands to give a snug fit, then trim away the excess marzipan with a sharp knife. Lift the cake onto a serving plate.
- Make up the fondant icing to a spreading consistency, then swirl over the cake to a rough iced effect. Decorate with a cross of ribbon and the ivy leaves while the icing is still wet so that they stick in position, then leave to set.
628 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 106g, fat 21 g, saturated fat 7g, fibre 2g, sugar 96g, salt 0.33 g
Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2009.
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http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/72625/
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Ingredients
CAKE BATTER
- 200g dark muscovado sugar
- 175g butter , chopped
- 700g luxury mixed dried fruits
- 50g glacé cherries
- 2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
- zest and juice 1 orange
- 100ml dark rum , brandy or orange juice
- 85g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- 3 large eggs , beaten
- 85g ground almonds
- 200g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
FOR THE ICING
- 85g ready-to-roll white icing
- icing sugar , for dusting
- edible gold or silver lustre
- 4 tbsp warm apricot jam
- 400g pack ready-rolled marzipan round
- 500g pack fondant icing sugar
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
- gold wrapping ribbon
- ivy shaped cutter
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Raise spirits with this twist on the boozy winter warmer- you can swap the red wine and gin for cranberry juice too
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Difficulty and servings
Makes a 20cm round cake, cuts into 16 slices
Preparation and cooking times
Prep 1 hr 15 mins
Cook 1 hr - 2 hrs
Undecorated cake can be frozen
Ingredients
CAKE BATTER
- 200g dark muscovado sugar
- 175g butter , chopped
- 700g luxury mixed dried fruits
- 50g glacé cherries
- 2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
- zest and juice 1 orange
- 100ml dark rum , brandy or orange juice
- 85g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- 3 large eggs , beaten
- 85g ground almonds
- 200g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
FOR THE ICING
- 85g ready-to-roll white icing
- icing sugar , for dusting
- edible gold or silver lustre
- 4 tbsp warm apricot jam
- 400g pack ready-rolled marzipan round
- 500g pack fondant icing sugar
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
- gold wrapping ribbon
- ivy shaped cutter
628 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 106g, fat 21 g, saturated fat 7g, fibre 2g, sugar 96g, salt 0.33 g
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