Wood Fire Christmas Cake
Although I wrote this recipe for my book, The Ultimate Wood Fired Oven Cook Book and it is designed to be cooked in a wood fired oven, it’s worth pointing out that it would work PERFECTLY well in a conventional oven. If cooking inside, cook it at a temperature of 120°C but expect it to take considerably less time than in a wood oven - maybe 4 hours or so. An indoor ovens temperature will be constant at 120°C, whereas with a wood oven, the temperature curve drops over night as the oven cools - I call it the dying curve of the energy - so the cake will cook more slowly.
Newspaper baked rich fruit cake
I have decades-old but vivid memories of my mum staying up half the night to bake the Christmas cake most years, always using her trusty Delia recipe. One of those big rich fruit cakes takes much time and gentle baking – too high a heat and the outside burns before the inside is ready. So I thought it might be the perfect thing for the dying heat of the wood-fired oven, and it works an absolute treat. A few things to note: do make sure your oven is not too hot, and make sure you insulate the tin with plenty of newspaper – a whole broadsheet is ideal – and set the tin on a baking rack to lift it above the direct heat. Begin this cake the day before you want to bake, to soak the fruit.
120–130°C MAKES ONE 23CM CAKE
900g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants, dried cranberries, chopped dried dates, prunes, figs, apricots)
150g mixture of chopped glacé cherries and dried mixed peel, whatever ratio you prefer
100ml brandy, rum or whisky
250g butter, softened to room temperature
250g dark brown sugar
4 eggs
250g (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp mixed spice
1 tbsp black treacle
You also need a 23cm round springform tin, a whole fat newspaper, and string to tie it with.
Put the dried fruit, glacé cherries and chopped peel into a large mixing bowl and pour in the brandy, rum or whisky. Stir together well and leave for 12–24 hours, stirring once or twice, until the booze has soaked in.
Prepare the cake tin for baking by double-lining the base and sides with well-greased baking paper. Then take several sheets of newspaper and fold them in half lengthways, so you have a long band of paper that is approximately double the height of the tin. Repeat with more newspaper so you have enough to wrap around the outside of the tin. Tie the newspaper band securely around the tin with string – an extra pair of hands is useful here. Take another good few sheets of newspaper and use them to line a baking sheet. Set the tin on top. You will need more newspaper to cover the top of the tin as well.
Once the fruit has soaked, the tin is prepared and your oven has cooled to a lovely gentle 120–130°C (250–265°F), you are ready to make the cake. Depending on how insulated your oven is, it may take some considerable time to cool to this temperature (see page 143 for useful info on cooling the oven down), but don’t be tempted to put the cake in when it’s hotter than this, as you risk overcooking if it’s left overnight.
Put the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat together with an electric whisk for a few minutes, until really light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating really well after each addition. Once all the eggs are in, add the flour, baking powder and mixed spice and beat once more until smooth. Finally, add the soaked fruit and black treacle, and stir together until combined. Pour into the prepared tin and level with a table knife.
Take the final wad of newspaper and lay it over the top of the tin so it’s covered. Rest the baking tray with the cake on it on a wire rack and slide the whole lot into the cool oven. Shut the door and leave overnight – it should cook very happily for 8 hours.
Genevieve Taylor
https://www.genevievetaylor.co.uk/
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