Dench Bakers' Christmas Cake

[Read James Fox-Smith's defense of fruitcake, here.]

From its base in the inner Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford, Dench Bakers turns out artisan bread, cakes, and pastries so swooningly delicious that  the small, family bakery has become a household name across much of Melbourne—a city of four million. While Dench’s croissants, cookies, and sourdough breads lure Melburnians year-round, during the Christmas season it’s their Christmas cake—a classic fruitcake—that is the go-to staple. Having somehow gotten hold of Dench’s recipe shortly after the bakery opened in 2005, my mother judged it superior to the time-tested English version her own mother had been making every Christmas since about 1940, and this cake has been finding its way onto the Fox-Smith Christmas dinner menu ever since. This recipe is reproduced exactly as originally published, although I’ve converted the measurements from metric to Imperial in deference to our American audience.

Serves approx 12

Ingredients

7 oz golden raisins

3.5 oz regular raisins

3.5 oz currants

1 1/2 oz candied mixed peel

Zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 Tbsp brandy5 1/2 oz butter

5 1/2 oz dark brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp golden syrup

3 eggs

7 1/4 oz plain flour

1 1/2 tsp mixed spice (equal amounts of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, clove & dried ginger)

2 1/2 oz candied (glacé) cherries

1 1/2 oz toasted almond slivers

Whole almonds, pecans, and/or glacé cherries for decorating your cake

More brandy for soaking

Directions

1: Combine raisins, currants, mixed peel, lemon zest, and brandy in a bowl. Cover and leave to stand overnight (or longer)

2: Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees farenheit. Line a 7" round springform cake tin with baking paper (include the side walls).

3: Cream butter, sugar, golden syrup and spices using a stand mixer. Start at medium speed, then increase to high.

4: Reduce the speed and add the eggs one at a time, whipping after each egg until fully incorporated. Reduce speed to low.

5: Sift flour and add to creamed butter mixture and beat until smooth (about 30 seconds).

6: Add glacé cherries and slivered almonds to the pre-soaked fruit mix. Gently stir the soaked fruit and nuts into the batter until evenly combined. The mix will be thick and heavy.

7: Pour the mix into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface. If you wish to decorate your cake with nuts and/or glacé cherries, arrange them on top of the cake mix before putting it into the oven.

8: Bake for 90 minutes, turning regularly and checking for color. If the cake is becoming too dark, cover with foil. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

9: Remove the cake from the oven and immediately release it from the tin. While the cake is still hot, use a pastry brush to brush on a layer of brandy, then wrap in foil.

10: The next day, remove the foil and brush again with brandy. Wrap in foil again, then follow with a layer of plastic wrap. Store in a cool, dark location such as a pantry until required.

11: You can also add more layers of brandy until one week before eating, if desired.

Happy baking, and Merry Christmas, from our table to yours.