Making Your Own Christmas Cake As The Kids Write Letters To Santa

As children reflect on whether what they wrote in their letters to Santa was accurate, you can go ahead and create a fantastic Christmas cake. A Christmas cake usually consists of fragrant spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Not only does it fill the house with a delicious Christmas smell, you can bake as you listen to your children talk to each other regarding what each one included in their letters to Santa Claus. That is always a big part of my fun during the holiday. One grandson is very secretive about everything and another grandchild will tell you everything and more than you would ever want to know. Take my word for, including this tradition is as much fun for the adults as it is for the kids. After all, children are only young once, and to fill it with fun filled traditions just like this one will make Christmas an extra special occasion for them, as well as sharpen their letter-writing skills.

Okay – back to the cake! Undeniably, it is quite tempting to just go ahead and buy a Christmas cake at the neighborhood bakeshop. After all, they do it best right? No matter how tempting it is to buy a Christmas cake, it is much better to make your own Christmas cake. The delicious smell coming from your oven will be something that will stay in your children’s minds when they think of Christmas all their lives. Making your own Christmas cake will give them a dimension of Christmas they will remember forever.

Here is an easy Christmas cake recipe which will put a smile on everyone’s faces each Christmas. Ingredients include raisins, chopped prunes and an equal amount for pitted dates that you have chopped, sultanas and currants, glazed cherries and an equal amount for dark chocolate, a cup of brandy or rum according to your preference, a cup and a half of dark brown sugar, a teaspoon vanilla, four eggs, half a cup of apricot jam and another half a cup of apricot nectar, a couple of cups of plain flour and half a cup of self-rising flour. You will also need a tablespoon cinnamon and another one of tablespoon of icing sugar.

The first thing you need to do is mix all the fruit in the list in a large mixing bowl and add the rum or the brandy. You need to let this soak overnight for best results. Next, preheat your oven to about three hundred and twenty five degrees Fahrenheit. Line a nine-inch round cake pan with two layers of parchment or baking paper on the bottom and on each side.

Next, you need to mix the vanilla, butter and sugar until the entire mixture is creamy. Add in each egg individually and beat well until the entire thing is combined. Stir the fruit into the mixture and make sure that you have mixed it thoroughly. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about half a minute. Take it out of the microwave and stir in the apricot nectar and jam. Pour this over the fruit mix and stir it well. Add in all the cinnamon and the flour and fold.

Pour this into the prepared cake tin and spread it very evenly. In order to settle the contents, tap it a couple of times on the table. You can then bake the tin in the middle of the oven right in the center for three hours. Test the center with a toothpick to see if it is done. Remove the cake from the oven, cover it with a towel and let it sit in your counter overnight. The next day, unmold the cake and sprinkle with sugar.

Trust me – you will love this cake and you can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit yourself.