Christmas Cake
1 serving
120 minutes
Christmas cake is a fragrant wonder of Austrian cuisine that has become an enduring symbol of holidays and coziness. Its history is rooted in European traditions where sweet and rich baked desserts were made long before Christmas. The recipe is based on a rich bouquet of dried fruits, nuts, and spices soaked in rum, giving the cake depth of flavor and richness. The cake is slowly baked to allow the ingredients to reveal their texture and aroma. As a result, it becomes a moist, buttery, and incredibly tender dessert with vibrant notes of spices and citrus. Thanks to its long aging process, it only gets tastier, and its rich flavor pairs perfectly with a cup of fragrant tea or coffee. This cake is not just a treat but also a true festive decoration for the table that envelops the home in warmth and memories.
1
I strongly recommend preparing everything and laying it out in bowls in advance. Otherwise, there is a high chance of forgetting something. For example, lemon zest or saffron. Almonds should be pre-peeled. Start with 1 kilogram of dried fruits. The more variety, the better. Dried apricots, figs, pineapples, and dates should be cut into strips beforehand. Pour a glass of rum or cognac over the dried fruits. Also add a few crystals of vanillin (if you have vanilla sugar, mix it with flour) and a pinch of saffron. The alcohol will evaporate during baking, leaving only aromatic notes, but if you are a strict teetotaler, replace the alcohol with grape or orange juice. Dried fruits absorb liquid very well, so stir them more often. If needed, add more liquid. You will drain any excess later, although there probably won't be any.
- Dried fruits: 1 kg
- Rum: 1 glass
2
In a few hours, you can proceed with the following steps: in one bowl, pour 220 grams of flour, a packet of baking powder, 50 grams of ground almonds or any other ground nuts, and a tiny, purely symbolic pinch of salt. In another bowl, add nuts totaling 400 grams. Pour boiling water over the almonds, let them sit for a few minutes, then drain the water and peel the almonds, which come off easily. The other nuts can be walnuts, hazelnuts, or cashews. Also, grate the zest of a lemon or lime into this bowl. In a third, much smaller bowl, add two tablespoons of various ground spices. I prefer a mix of ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In the fourth (largest) bowl, place a pack of well-softened butter, 200 grams of sugar, and beat everything with a mixer until smooth. Then, while continuing to beat, add four eggs one by one. Add the flour with ground nuts and baking powder. When the mixture is uniform and smooth, set the mixer aside and use a spatula or a large spoon to carefully fold in the nuts and dried fruits soaked in rum.
- Wheat flour: 220 g
- Ground almonds: 50 g
- Nuts: 400 g
3
Place the mass in a well-greased buttered mold with a diameter of 26 cm and put it in an oven preheated to 170 degrees for one and a half hours. After one and a half hours, reduce the oven temperature to 140 degrees. Only after another hour can the cake be considered ready. Additional baking makes the cake more baked inside and, accordingly, better absorbs what you soak it with. This is especially important when baking a cake in a large mold.
4
The surface of the cake should be frequently pierced with a wooden skewer without removing it from the mold, and then carefully and thoughtfully, using a spoon or pastry syringe, pour hot, almost boiling syrup over it. The syrup is made by placing three full tablespoons of honey in a cup, adding 75 grams of rum or cognac, and heating it in the microwave until the honey is completely dissolved. Ideally, the syrup should soak into the holes made by the skewer. Experienced bakers suggest that the cake should be soaked with some aromatic strong alcohol (about 20 grams) not only right after baking but also every 3-4 days, allowing it to rest again. Once the cake is completely cool, remove it from the mold, wrap it in plastic, and let it 'take shape.' The difference between freshly baked and well-aged cakes is that during aging, the dried fruits become soft, almost transparent, and form a single substance with the dough, resulting in a very tender, buttery taste.