Archive for November, 2009

By Trine Madsen

Christmas usually means spending more time in the kitchen. It is the time where we prepare the traditional feast and bring out our recipe books to try out new dishes. It also means giving a lot of goodies and baked stuff – and sums up to frequent baking. Ever year, I bake my traditional

Christmas cake and it entails a lot of picky details to be able to finish a perfect and delectable treat. Normally, Christmas cake should be prepared well ahead of time to set out its moistness and flavor. I usually procrastinate and bake it a week just before Christmas. However, this year

I am determined to do it the right way. So yesterday the kitchen gave off a gentle spicy whiff as the cake was slowly cooked for four and a half hours. Just one hint of its aroma is enough to conjure Christmas up.

Just before Christmas I habitually take out the unfailing old Delia Smith cook book to look into the cake recipe and the quantities needed for the marzipan. Her recipes almost always work and are perfect, if not always inspired. Now she has long been replaced by the younger, and sexier Nigella. However, her books are still at the back part of my shelf, where I can easily locate and grab should I need to check on details of some dishes. In this article, I will share my traditional fruit cake recipe which I usually prepare for Christmas.

Delectable Fruit Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

450 grams or 1 pound of currants

175 grams or 6 ounce of sultanas

175 grams or 6 ounce of raisins

50 grams or 2 ounce of glazed cherries (optional)

50 grams or 2 ounce of mixed candied peel – chopped

3 tablespoons of brandy

225 grams or 8 ounce of plain flour

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon of mixed spice

225 grams or 8 ounce of unsalted butter

225 grams or 8ounce of soft brown sugar

4 pieces of large eggs

50 grams or 2 ounce of chopped almonds

1 dessertspoon of treacle

1 grated rind of lemon

1 grated rind of orange

Instructions:

The night before you plant to make the cake, marinate all the dried fruit and peel with brandy. Place it in a covered bowl and put it aside over night or for at least twelve hours.

Grease and line a 20 centimeter or an 8 inch round cake tin or an 18 centimeter or a 7 inch square one.

Sift the flour, salt, and spices altogether. Cream the butter and sugar altogether in a large mixing bowl until it is light and fluffy (make sure to do this thoroughly). Beat the eggs and add them gradually to the creamed mixture, making sure to beat well each time. Next, gently fold in the flour and spices. Add and stir in the dried fruit and peel, treacle and the grated lemon and orange rind. Pour the mixture into the cake tin, spreading it out evenly. Tie a band of brown paper around the outside part of the tin and cover its top with a double layer of greaseproof paper with a hole cut in the middle of it. Bake the cake at 140oC/275oF for 4 ¼ to 4 ¾ hours. Never open the oven door to test until at least 4 hours have passed. Once the cake is baked, set it aside to cool. Once it has cooled wrap it in a layer of greaseproof paper then foil. Delia Smith suggests adding it with brandy once every week by poking a couple of holes with a skewer then letting few teaspoons of brandy infuse in.

The cake should now be well-wrapped in greaseproof paper and foil and kept on a shelf in the store cupboard. A week before Christmas I usually make the marzipan to go with it. I’ll be sure to get a lot of help with it, as the children compete to collect up any scraps that fall off or are trimmed.

About the Author: Explore Christmas culinary and baking tips only at merrychirstmas24.com. Learn more about Christmas cakes by visiting merrychristmas24 – Recipes section.

Source: www.isnare.com

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The Centerpiece Of Your Wedding Reception

By Donald Saunders

The wedding cake has long been the focus of attention at the reception and for many years now it has been customary to have a three tiered white wedding cake which is elaborately decorated and which includes one of a number of traditional wedding cake toppers such as statue depicting the bride and groom, a pair of doves, a pair of gold rings or a horseshoe.

In medieval times guests would each bring a small piece of cake to a wedding and these would be stacked together to form a tower or pyramid. The newly married couple would then kiss over the top of the cake if they could to bring good luck to their marriage or, more often than not, would end up falling into the stack of cake much to the amusement of everyone present.

Over time the tower or pyramid formed from individual pieces of cake evolved into a single cake and the tiered design is thought to have been based upon the unusual tiered spire of the medieval church of St Bride’s in London.

It was also customary for cakes to be made from fruit which was readily available and to be covered in a layer of fat and sugar to preserve the cake in the days before refrigeration.

Nowadays it is traditional for the bride and groom to cut their wedding cake together and often to feed each other with the first bites of the cake as a symbol of the establishment of their new family unit. A section of the wedding cake (typically the top tier) is then often removed and stored so that it can be used at the christening of the couple’s first child.

While many people today still follow the well established pattern when it comes to planning their wedding, a growing number of couples are choosing to depart from tradition and, in particular, to look for ways in which they can make their wedding day truly unique and memorable for their guests.

As a result it is common today to not only see wedding cakes in a variety of different shapes, sizes, colors and flavors but also for couples to use wedding cake toppers as a central focal point for their cake.

Today wedding cake toppers come in all shapes and sizes and can range from exquisite and unique works of art which are specially commissioned by the bride and groom to statues depicting the couple in various hilarious poses which can be purchased quite cheaply from any one of a large number of suppliers.

As couples strive more and more to make their wedding day stand apart from the crowd we will continue to see attention focused upon the design of wedding cakes and, in particular, upon the development of increasingly unique wedding cake toppers.

About the Author: For more information on wedding cake toppers visit Talking Weddings today.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=98509&ca=Marriage