My Christmas Cake… Chocolate & Guinness Fruit Cake

I have had great fun lately creating beautiful cupcakes, and novelty-shaped fudge…
However, I want to graduate to celebration cakes, and in January 2012 I have enrolled on an 8 week Introduction To Cake Decorating course.
I just can’t wait to get started, so decided it was time to roll up my sleeves, bake, and decorate a Christmas Cake.

For icing and marzipanning the cake, I used Silver Spoon’s ready rolled icing and marzipan. These were really quick and easy to use.

I decided to go for the easy option as my kitchen space is relatively small, and also to save some time at this busy time of year.

First, I decided on the recipe for my cake. This was an easy choice!
I baked a Newport Fruit Cake from Georgina Campbell’s Meals For All Seasons.
Essentially this is a Chocolate & Guinness Fruit Cake.
I have always loved this cake, from the first time my Mum made it when I was still at school, and not a big fan of fruit cakes in general.
The Guinness adds a lovely dimension to the flavour, and the chocolate, well that speaks for itself!
Mr McKenzie and I actually decided on this cake for our Wedding Cake last year. A close family friend, Margaret, baked and decorated our Wedding Cake, and we, and our guests, were thrilled with it… Thanks Margaret!

For the recipe, read on…. This is one you really should try!

As for the decoration I have seen some really beautiful cake designs on other people’s blogs…
I especially love Ruth’s, from The Pink Whisk, ideas for decorating your Christmas Cake.

I felt inspired by my new Scottie dog cutter to come up with my own design, and for my first celebration cake, I am really pleased with how it turned out. Hope you like it too!

The Recipe

Ingredients

450g plain flour
8oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
225g rich dark brown sugar
450g sultanas
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted
200g chopped dark chocolate, eg Bournville
2 large eggs
½-¾ pint Guinness

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line a deep 8 inch cake tin.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
Using a freestanding mixer, mix in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add all the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.

Blend the eggs with half the Guinness and add, together with enough of the remaining Guinness to make a wet dropping consistency.

Turn into the tin.

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 1½ hours, or until the top is springy and the sides are shrinking away from the tin.
A fine skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.