Dark Christmas cake
Description
Perfect with tea and coffee. I'll tell you, the pastry is ready. Serve at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all the necessary ingredients.
- 2
Step 2
Wash the dried fruits thoroughly, dry them with a paper towel. If necessary, cut some into pieces. I had two varieties – 300 g of raisins and 200 g of dried apricots. I cut the apricots into 3–4 pieces. Pour alcohol over the prepared dried fruits and let them soak for a day. You can stir occasionally.
- 3
Step 3
The next day you can start preparing the dough. Beat the butter with the sugar until it becomes a fluffy mixture. Then add the eggs one by one. After adding an egg, beat until smooth, then the next one, and so on.
- 4
Step 4
Cover the almonds with scalding hot water for 7–10 minutes, then drain the water and peel off the nut skin. Pulse the almonds in a blender into crumbs and add them to the dough together with molasses or thick jam. Mix.
- 5
Step 5
Gradually add sifted flour with baking soda and a pinch of salt to the dough. You can beat the dough with a mixer. The mixture should be homogeneous. At this stage you may add 0.5 tsp each of the spices – ginger and cinnamon – and a pinch of nutmeg.
- 6
Step 6
Add the “drunken” dried fruits.
- 7
Step 7
And mix well.
- 8
Step 8
To ensure everything turns out without surprises, I recommend lining the pans with baking paper. Or grease them with vegetable oil.
- 9
Step 9
Spread the batter into 2 or several baking pans. Do not fill the pans with batter more than half full. Place them to bake in a preheated 150 °C oven for 1.5 hours. In small pans, cupcakes will bake faster; an hour will be enough.
- 10
Step 10
Our dark Christmas cake is ready! Let it cool completely in the pan.
- 11
Step 11
Then remove the cold cake from the pan and wrap it in cling film so that air does not get in. You can also place it in a bag. Store it in a cool, dark place for 1–1.5 months. In my opinion, it’s very convenient that you can prepare for the holiday so far in advance. If you realized it very late, let it sit for at least a day or two.
- 12
Step 12
The cake turns out simply amazing! Decorate with powdered sugar or icing and serve at the table!
- 13
Step 13
Take it out of the oven and serve warm or cooled.