Cake's

Irish Christmas Cake

• Citron 1 lb.
• Candied orange and lemon peel,
  combined, 1/2 lb.
  
• Dates, 1/2 lb.
• Glace cherries, 1/2 lb.
• Raisins, 3 3/4 Cup.
• Currants, 2 3/4 Cup.
• Almonds and pecans, combined,
  coarsely chopped, 1 lb.
  
• Brandy, 3/4 Cup
• Brown sugar, 1 lb.
• Butter, softened, 1 lb.
• Egg yolks, beaten until thick, 15
• All-purpose flour, sifted, 4 Cups
• Cinnamon, 1 Tbsp.
• Cloves, 1 Tbsp.
• Allspice, 1 Tbsp.
• Nutmeg, 1 Tbsp.
• Mace, 1 1/2 tsp.
• Egg whites, beaten until stiff, 15

Chop the citron, orange and lemon peels,
dates and cherries. (Reserve a few cherry
halves for decoration.) Add the raisins,
currants, almonds, and pecans. (Reserve a
few nut halves for decoration.) Pour on the
brandy and let the fruits marinate while
preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Cream the sugar and butter until light and
fluffy. Add the beaten egg yolks gradually,
beating constantly. reserve 1 cup of the
flour and sift the remaining 3 cups with
the spices. Add the sifted ingredients
gradually to the butter mixture, beating
well after each addition. Fold in the egg
whites carefully. Sprinkle the fruits with
the reserved 1 cup of flour and mix well.
Fold the fruits into the batter. Oil and
line a 12-inch springform pan with waxed
paper. Place batter in pan and bake in 300
degree F. oven with pans of hot water in
bottom of the oven, for 2 1/2 hours. Cool
the cake and wrap in cheesecloth that has
been soaked in brandy. Place in airtight
container and store until ready to use.
Every 3 weeks, re-dip the cheesecloth
wrapper in brandy.
Before decorating, glaze the top and sides of
the cake with either apricot jam, thinned with
a little water or red currant jelly. This will
help the marzipan to adhere to the cake sides.

Almond Paste

3 (9 oz.) cans almond paste
Form 2 cans of the almond paste into a ball.
Place on lightly sugared or floured board and
roll into a rectangle 1/8 inch thick. (The
width of the rectangle should match the height
of the sides of the cake. The length should
match the circumference.) Circle the cake with
the almond paste and trim the edges to fit
perfectly. Roll the remaining paste into a
circle the size of the top of the cake. Place
the circle on the cake and trim. Let the
almond paste dry overnight.
Ice with Royal Icing

Royal Icing

• egg whites, 2
• Lemon juice, 1 Tbsp.
• Confectioners' sugar, 1 lb.

Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until
they are the consistency of cream. Beat in the
sugar a little at a time. Continue beating,
scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally,
until the icing is smooth and shiny. It will
be very stiff. Cover the bowl with a damp
cloth if the icing is not to be used
immediately. Cover the almond paste with a
thin layer of icing. Dip the knife in hot
water if the icing is difficult to spread. To
decorate the cake, form peaks on the sides and
edges of the top of the cake with the remaining
icing using the tip of a knife.

Servings: 4

CAKE

• 4 oz Butter, at room temperature
• 4 oz Granulated sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 4 oz Self-raising flour
• 2 T Coffee essence**

IRISH COFFEE SYRUP

• 150 ml Strong black coffee
• 4 oz Sugar (for coffee syrup)
• 4 T Irish whiskey

ICING

• 150 ml Heavy whipping cream
• Confectioners'sugar to taste
• 1 T Whiskey, or to taste
• Chopped nuts*

*Or grated chocolate. **This is a concentrated,
liquid coffee easily found in Ireland, but
probably not in the States. I would dissolve 2
T of a good instant coffee (Taster's Choice or
something similar) in an equivalent amount of
water, and use that. -- Grease and flour an 8-
inch cake pan (preferably a springform
cheesecake pan). Preheat oven to 350F. Cream
the butter and sugar until light and fluffy,
then beat in the eggs, adding a little flour
and beating well after each addition. Stir in
the coffee essence, and mix thoroughly. Turn
the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for
35-40 minutes until springy to the touch. Turn
out and cool on a wire rack. . To make the
Irish coffee syrup, put the coffee and sugar
into a small pan and bring up to the boil,
stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then boil for 1
minute. Remove from heat and add the whiskey.
Wash and dry the pan the cake was baked in, and
return the cooled cake to it: then pour the hot
coffee syrup all over it. Leave in a cool place
for several hours, then turn out. Whip the cream
until it's thick, sweeten slightly with
confectioners' sugar, and add whiskey to taste.
Spread the cake with the whipped cream and chill
for an hour before sprinkling with chopped nuts
or grated chocolate.