Scented with citrus and spice, this Christmas traybake cake can be made and stored up to 2 months ahead of the big day. Simply splash with brandy every 2-3 weeks, before decorating with easy ready-to-roll marzipan and icing.
Get-ahead Christmas cake
Ingredients
16
pieces
-
- 2
- 1
- 1 kg
- 190 g
- 190 g
- 1 tbsp
- 3
- 200 g
- 1 tsp
- 0,5 tsp
- 100 g
-
To decorate
- 90 g
- 500 g
- 500 g
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Preparation
Zest the oranges and lemon, then juice one of the oranges. Tip the brandy-soaked fruit into a large bowl and stir through the citrus zests and orange juice. Cover and set aside for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
Preheat the oven to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm traybake tin with baking paper. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, light brown sugar and golden syrup for a few minutes until pale and fluffy. Crack in the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Fold through the flour, mixed spice and salt until combined. Chop the pecans, then stir through the cake batter with the soaked fruit. Scrape into the prepared tin, then level the surface with a spatula. Bake in the oven for 1¾ - 2 hours until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
Once cool, remove the cake from the tin onto a board. Use a thin skewer to poke holes into the cake, then ‘feed’ with 2 tbsp brandy. Wrap the cake in a double layer of fresh baking paper, then a double layer of foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Repeat the feeding every 2-3 weeks until you decorate, rewrapping each time.
Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan to loosen it. Meanwhile dust your work surface well with icing sugar. Roll out the marzipan to slightly larger than the top of your cake. Brush the surface of the cake with some of the apricot jam, then carefully lift on the marzipan. Trim around the marzipan with clean scissors so it sits neatly on top. Dust your work surface again with icing sugar, then roll out the icing in the same way. Stamp out stars using different sized cutters. Brush the marzipan with water, then carefully lift the icing on top. Smooth over with your hand or a piece of leftover icing. Dot any stamped out stars with a little apricot jam and secure onto the cake as you wish. Slice and serve.
Nutrition per serving
Kcal
626
Fats (g)
20
Proteins (g)
6
Fibre (g)
3
