Good news for mince pie lovers, but not if you like a bit of cake.
Never liked Christmas cake anyway, but I'd hate to give up my mince pies!
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8399386.stm
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I'll have you know my Delia-Smith-inspired home-baked Christmas cake includes dried fruit marinated overnight in 3 serving spoonsful of brandy and it has brandy drizzled on to it every few days before being decorated.
If a couple of slices if that doesn't put you over the limit I don't know what will.
Edited by ChrisPeugeot on 07/12/2009 at 17:43
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There's a rather good Trinidadian sort of cake that can get you pie-eyed too. I believe rum may be the active ingredient, added repeatedly after the cake has been baked to prevent unnecessary evaporation of the more volatile fractions...
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Lud, when I taught in Stockwell the West Indian pupils used to bring in the fruit for their Christmas cakes in a container, where it had been steeped in rum for many days. Such a delicious smell when baked!
I now use an adaptation of my mothers recipe, where the all the ingredients apart from eggs, flour and milk are heated and simmered for 15 minutes then cooled. I then add at least a mug of brandy, rum, whisky or whatever I have most of - so the warm fruit takes it up - yum. It is then fed when it comes out of the oven and a few times before the (home-made) almond paste goes on.
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I had a rum baba pudding from Marks and Spencer years ago, not long after they first started doing food.
It made me feel slightly light-headed in the way a quick slug of strong drink sometimes can.
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I still try to get people to make Christmas cake for my birthday at 71 deepwith, although they often demur citing health and safety reasons. I will pass on your advice to my cake-makingest daughter...
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