Christmas Cake Recipe (Uncle Charlie’s)

Christmas Cake Recipe (Uncle Charlie’s)

This recipe is from Mum’s first recipe book. The recipe has been in the family for some time. As far as we know it came from Uncle Charlie (Mum’s Uncle, my Great-Uncle), who was Mum’s father’s younger brother. He had a bakery or a general store. It may have been in his family for some time, before this but we do not know. Mum remembers her mother making this cake.

Of interest is the inclusion of cayenne pepper, which Uncle Charlie believed gave the cake a lift in flavours, also the recipe has 10 eggs!

1lb of butter creamed till soft. Then mix in : 1lb of brown sugar.

Add 10 eggs, 1 at a time mixing by hand. Then :

1lb of rasins

1 ½ lb sultanas

1lb currants

4 oz almonds

4 oz peel

4 oz cherries

1 ¼ lbs flour

1 large tablespoon golden syrup

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 level teaspoon soda

1 level teaspoon cinnamon

1 level teaspoon mixed spice

½ level teaspoon nutmeg

1 level teaspoon salt

1 level teaspoon vanilla essence

1 level teaspoon Rum essence

1 level teaspoon orange essence

½ level teaspoon each any essence (lemon, almond, etc.)

Cook 4-6 hours at 350 degrees Farenheight.

Tie 20 layers of newspapers around the sides. Place a double layer of greaseproof paper inside the tin. Butter lightly. Place 1 ½ thicknesses of a magazine under tin.