A few months ago, gripped by baking fever, I purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I quickly decided to embark upon a mission to bake everything in the book, and turn myself from an occasional baker into a bit of an expert. My Grandad Ern was a Master Baker by trade; the man responsible for introducing Danish Pastries to England in fact, and I wish it had occurred to me to spend more time learning from him, rather than simply enjoying the fruits of his effortless labours. This project is almost a way of making amends for that; I'd like to follow in his footsteps (if not in my career, at least as a hobby) and continue the proud heritage of baking in my family.
I credit my friend Rachel with the idea to write a blog about my baking exploits, hoping that there will be more successes than failures as I attempt all 213 of the Queen of Baking's recipes.
So as not to bore the husband with a monotonous diet of sponges, followed by weeks of biscuits, I've decided to tackle the recipes by selecting the first bake from each chapter, followed by the second recipe and so on. I'm not going to pick and choose; I'm determined to face my baking demons and learn how to do everything baking-related, even if the consequences are disastrous!
Everything will be photographed, with comment about how I found baking it, and a husband rating (to be taken with a pinch of salt as he has a very selective cake-tooth).


Tuesday 7 January 2014

52. Rich Fruit Cake


So this was the Christmas cake for 2013. I'm saving all the 'rich' fruit cakes for the Festive Season, so this was Christmas cake number two. I made it during the October half-term holiday so it had plenty of time to mature ready for Christmas. Sadly I forgot to feed it as often as I should've; it only got one (albeit generous) dousing with brandy a few weeks before serving. I found the cake very straightforward to make. You can't go wrong with a fruit cake really. It's just a bit time-consuming weighing out all the ingredients and chopping cherries (in fact, lining the tin is the biggest faff). I love soaking the fruit overnight; it creates such lovely boozy aromas to inhale at whim. I recalled how last year, when pregnant, that was the closest I came to enjoying alcohol - having a good old sniff of the brandy-soaked fruit! Anyway, the making of the cake was all very straightforward on day 2; just a bit of elbow grease needed to make sure everything was thoroughly mixed. Then followed several hours in the oven where the lovely scent started to fill the kitchen and indeed the whole house. I had the same issue with the baking parchment as last year: my 'loose cover' ended up sticking to the top of the cake and ruining the appearance of the carefully arranged almonds and cherries slightly. It didn't matter last year, because the cake was iced, but this year it was laid bare for all to see. Not that anyone cared: once you cut into a cake like this, the appearance doesn't really matter: it all just crumbles and becomes a fruity avalanche of cake!
Baker's verdict: a really lovely, moist and very rich cake. You don't need a very big slice!
Husband rating: 9/10 - not normally a Christmas cake lover, however I did really enjoy this. Very moist, very rich, lots of flavour. Liked the nuts in it too.

 
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