How to Make our Aval Dor Spiced Gin Christmas Cake
This is a beautifully decadent, moist and rich Christmas cake, bejewelled with a varied mix of fruit and soaked generously in our Christmas Spiced Gin, lifted by fresh orange juice & zest.
Ingredients
750g Vine Fruit Mix
250g soft dried apricots, quartered
200g Glace Cherries, halved
200g Italian mixed peel
100g soft pitted prunes, quartered
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
200ml Aval Dor Christmas Gin (plus extra to feed the cake)
250g unsalted butter, softened
200g dark muscovado sugar
5 medium eggs, beaten
300g plain four
200g walnuts, roughly chopped.
Here’s How:
Place all the dried fruits into a large bowl and stir in the orange zest and juice, and the Aval Dor Christmas Gin. Cover and leave overnight.
Pre heat oven to 150 c, gas mark 2.
Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin (or 23cm round tin) with baking paper so it stands 5cm above the top of the tin.
In a large bowl, use an electric hand-held whisk to beat the softened butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy
Gradually add and beat in the eggs. If the mixture begins to split just add a spoonful of the flour and continue to beat.
Add the Aval Dor Christmas Gin-soaked fruits and any remaining liquid to the butter and sugar mix, along with the chopped walnuts, and mix well.
Fold in the flour and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Use the back of a serving spoon to level out the mixture.
Stand the tin on a baking tray and put back in the oven for 3 – 4 hours until cooked through. If the top starts to look over browned, place tin foil over loosely. Test by inserting a metal skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is done.
Leave to cool completely in the tin.
Remove the cake, keeping in in the baking paper. Wrap tightly in foil to keep it moist. Feed the cake by gently pouring over Aval Dor Spiced Gin every week and wrap back up until you are ready to eat it.
