These are Christmas or 'Plumb' cakes, some old and new recipes
to be tried. Of course they are best cooked weeks in advance of Christmas and allowed to age - but putting them in the freezer
for a few days is also supposed to work wonders for rich cakes - so that is something - just don't let water drip on them.
Christmas Fruit Cake - a modern variety and very rich
1/8 cup chopped dried cherries
1/8 cup chopped dried mango
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup currants
2 tablespoons chopped candied citron
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup rum
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
8 tablespoons butter
1 Soak dried fruit in 1/4 cup rum for at least 24 hours. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature.
2 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter and line with parchment paper a 6 inch round pan.
3 Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
4 Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the flour in three batches, alternating with the milk and molasses. Stir in the fruit/ rum mixture and nuts.
5 Scrape batter into prepared pan,and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, anjd then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum.
6 Place a piece of parchment paper, large enough to wrap entire cake, on a flat surface. Moisten a piece of cheesecloth, large enough to wrap the cake, with 1 tablespoon rum. Place the cheesecloth on top of the parchment paper, and unmold the cake on top of it. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the remaining rum. Wrap the cake, pressing the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake. Place the cake in an airtight tin, and let age for at least 10 weeks. If storing longer, douse with additional rum for every 10 weeks of storage.
Another Fruitcake - again a modern variation - but HUGE!!!!!
2 lb Candied cherries
2 lb Candied pineapple
1/2 lb Citron
1/2 lb Candied orange peel
1/2 lb Candied lemon peel
2 lb Pitted dates
2 lb Golden raisins
1 lb Dark raisins
1 lb Currants
11 oz Shelled pecans
Flour to bind
1 lb Butter or margarine
1 lb Brown sugar
12 Eggs
1 tb Vanilla
1 lg Lemon (Juice only)
1 lg Orange (juice only)
2 ts Baking powder
2 ts Baking soda
1 ts Ground nutmeg
1 ts Ground allspice
1 tb Ground cinnamon
1 1/2 c Grape juice or wine
Light corn syrup
Additional fruits & pecans...(like you need them!)
Cut fruit into small pieces and chop nuts. Mix fruit and nuts with enough flour to coat well. Cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and lemon and orange juices. Resift 4 cups sifted flour with baking powder, soda, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon. Add alternately with grape juice to egg mixture. Stir in fruit and nut mixture. Grease 2 (9- x 5-inch) loaf pans and 1 (10-inch) tube pan. Line with brown paper and grease paper. Turn batter into pans, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 200F. Loaf pans will require about 4 1/2 hours. Tube pan about 6 1/2 hours. About 30 minutes before cake is done, brush light corn syrup over top and decorate with nuts and fruits. Cool in pans. Pour a little additional wine over top of cooled cake, if desired, wrap and store in cool place 1 month before using.
A Plumb Cake - an old fashioned recipe with original spellings
Take 6 pd of currants 5 pd. of flower an ounce of cloves & mace a little cinnamon 1/2 an ounce of nutmegs 1/2 a pd.
of pounded & blanced almonds 1/2 a pd. of slic'd citron lemon & orange piele 1/2 a pt. of sack a little Rong water
a qt. of good ale yest a qt. of Cream & a pd. and half of butter milke there in mix it well together on a board
lay before the fire to rise yen work it up smooth put in an hoop with a paper flowered at ye bottom.
The Iceing (for the above fruit cake)
Beat & sift a pd of doubt icsind sugar & put to it ye whites of 4 eggs put in but one at a time beat them in a
bason with a silver spoon till tis very leight & white.
Traditionally New Years Day is for visiting people, so
these are simple (and the gingerbread, traditional) cakes and biscuits to take with you.
Ginger Bread Cakes
Take 3 pd of flower a pd of sugar & a pd of butter rubbd very fine an ounce of ginger & a
grated nutmeg mix it with a pd of treacle & a quarter of a pt of cream warmed together to make up
your bread stiff roul them out cut them in little cakes bake them in a slack oven.
Another Way
Take a quartern of flower 2 pd & 3 quarters of treacle & 1/2 a pd of butter warmd
together an ounce of ginger 1/2 an ounce of carraway & corriander seeds bruisd make it into large cakes
put it to either of them what sweetmenat you please when they are baked dip them in boyling water to glase them.
Gingerbread
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup melted margarine
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup unsulfered molasses
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon extract
4 cups stone-ground or unbleached flour, unsifted
Combine the sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
Add the melted margarine, evaporated milk and molasses. Add the extracts. Mix well. Add the flour
1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to
fingers. Knead the dough for a smoother texture. Add up to 1ˇ2 cup additional flour if necessary to
prevent sticking. When the dough is smooth, roll it out 1ˇ4 inch thick on a floured surface and cut it
into cookies. Bake on floured or greased cookie sheets in a preheated 375° F oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
The gingerbread cookies are done when they spring back when touched.
These Honey biscuits aren't traditional - but quite tasty
Honey Merry Christmas Cookies
1/3 c Shortening
1 Egg
1 tsp Lemon extract
1 tsp Soda
1/3 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Honey
2 3/4 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
Mix ingredients. Chill dough 2-3 hours. Roll out dough and cut. Sprinkle
with colored sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
