IRISH-IN-UK-L Archives

From: Pat Connors <>
Subject: [Irish-in-UK] Recipe for Irish Christmas Cake
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 10:10:50 -0800

From this month's Irish Heritage Newsletter...

Irish Christmas Cake

Citron 1 lb.
Candied orange and lemon peel, combined, 1/2 lb.
Dates, 1/2 lb.
Glace cherries, 1/2 lb.
Raisins, 3 3/4 Cup.
Currants, 2 3/4 Cup.
Almonds and pecans, combined, coarsely chopped, 1 lb.
Brandy, 3/4 Cup
Brown sugar, 1 lb.
Butter, softened, 1 lb.
Egg yolks, beaten until thick, 15
All-purpose flour, sifted, 4 Cups
Cinnamon, 1 Tbsp.
Cloves, 1 Tbsp.
Allspice, 1 Tbsp.
Nutmeg, 1 Tbsp.
Mace, 1 1/2 tsp.
Egg whites, beaten until stiff, 15

Chop the citron, orange and lemon peels, dates and cherries. (Reserve a
few cherry halves for decoration.) Add the raisins, currants, almonds,
and pecans. (Reserve a few nut halves for decoration.) Pour on the
brandy and let the fruits marinate while preparing the rest of the
ingredients. Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the
beaten egg yolks gradually, beating constantly. reserve 1 cup of the
flour and sift the remaining 3 cups with the spices. Add the sifted
ingredients gradually to the butter mixture, beating well after each
addition. Fold in the egg whites carefully. Sprinkle the fruits with the
reserved 1 cup of flour and mix well. Fold the fruits into the batter.
Oil and line a 12-inch springform pan with waxed paper. Place batter in
pan and bake in 300 degree F. oven with pans of hot water in bottom of
the oven, for 2 1/2 hours. Cool the cake and wrap in cheesecloth that
has been soaked in brandy. Place in airtight container and store until
ready to use. Every 3 weeks, re-dip the cheesecloth wrapper in brandy.
Before decorating, glaze the top and sides of the cake with either
apricot jam, thinned with a little water or red currant jelly. This will
help the marzipan to adhere to the cake sides.

_Almond Paste_

3 (9 oz.) cans almond paste
Form 2 cans of the almond paste into a ball. Place on lightly sugared or
floured board and roll into a rectangle 1/8 inch thick. (The width of
the rectangle should match the height of the sides of the cake. The
length should match the circumference.) Circle the cake with the almond
paste and trim the edges to fit perfectly. Roll the remaining paste into
a circle the size of the top of the cake. Place the circle on the cake
and trim. Let the almond paste dry overnight.
Ice with Royal Icing ***********

_Royal Icing_

egg whites, 2
Lemon juice, 1 Tbsp.
Confectioners' sugar, 1 lb.
Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until they are the consistency
of cream. Beat in the sugar a little at a time. Continue beating,
scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the icing is smooth
and shiny. It will be very stiff. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth if
the icing is not to be used immediately. Cover the almond paste with a
thin layer of icing. Dip the knife in hot water if the icing is
difficult to spread. To decorate the cake, form peaks on the sides and
edges of the top of the cake with the remaining icing using the tip of a
knife.

******** Instead of Almond paste I have been recenly informed about
marzipan. Here is the recipe for marzipan.

Marzipan has been used for centuries by pastry chefs all over the world.
It can be used in baking and for covering and filling cakes. Marzipan
looks fabulous for colorful cake decorations and figurines. Marzipan has
to have at least 25 % almonds otherwise it is considered almond paste.
A thin layer of Marzipan can be used to cover a cake. Colored it can
replace the need for frosting. It is also used under Fondant, much like
apricot glaze to protect the Fondant from moisture.

Both recipe call for extra fine ground blanched almonds. In commercial
bakeries the almonds are finely grounded by passing them through granite
rollers. The finer the almonds the better your results will be.

The uncooked Marzipan is kneaded together until smooth and is then
stored in an airtight container or plastic bag over night.

For cooked Marzipan add the sugar to the water in a saucepan and cook
until the sugar is dissolved. Add the almonds and cook it until the
batter stops sticking to the pan. Remove from heat and place onto a
marble slap, wooden board or a sheet pan. While still warm knead first
with a wooden spatula and then by hand until smooth. Store in an
airtight container or plastic bag.

Marzipan can be softened by adding small amounts of syrup to it, if too
soft add additional powdered sugar to it.


Basic Recipe:
Marzipan uncooked
1/4 pound ground blanched almonds
1/4 pound powdered sugar
1 egg white
1/4 tsp. salt

Marzipan cooked
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
4 cups ground blanched almonds


--
Pat Connors, Sacramento CA
http://www.connorsgenealogy.com

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