Overnight Christmas cake

Annabel Langbein Media

Christmas cakes celebrate the power of tradition - every family has its own version or variation, which travels from friend to friend and generation to generation. This cake is cooked very slowly for 10-12 hours. It makes a wonderful Christmas gift, and can be made as one huge cake, or baked in two smaller tins (reduce the cooking time accordingly - check after 8 hours).

Ingredients

500 g	Butter
2 cups	Sugar
10	Eggs
2 Tbsp	Sherry, or brandy, plus half a cup extra to pour over the cake
4 ½ cups	Flour
½ tsp	Baking powder
½ tsp	Salt
10 cups	Dried fruit, such as currants, sultanas, raisins and dates (Main)
1 cup	Mixed peel
1 cup	Glace cherries
2 cups	Mixed nuts, such as almonds and Brazil nuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 100C (do not use fanbake as it will dry out this cake).
2. Grease a 28cm round or 25cm square cake tin and line the base and sides with three layers of baking paper. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs and the 2 Tbsp sherry or brandy and mix well.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, then stir in dried fruit and nuts. Add to the butter mixture and use a large wooden spoon or clean hands to combine evenly. Transfer to prepared tin, pressing it in firmly.
4. Cook until cake is set and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (10-12 hours, check after 10 hours). Remove from oven and immediately make holes across top of cake with a skewer and pour the ½ cup sherry or brandy over the top.
5. Leave cake in tin until absolutely cold. Will keep for weeks if covered and stored in an airtight container in a cool place.

More Christmas cakes from Annabel

• Eliza's fruit cake
• Miraculous three ingredient Christmas cake

For more great Annabel Langbein recipes see her summer annual

A Free Range Life: Celebrate Summer

! (Annabel Langbein Media, $24.95) or visit

annabel-langbein.com