It’s just under a month to Christmas and we’re all thinking the same thing – Christmas sweets. In this article, we will talk about the “sweet king” of the Christmas tables of the families of the Azores, the Christmas Cake (also known as “fruit cake”).
The recipe for this Christmas cake varies a little according to the customs of each of the nine islands, but the taste is always an authentic delight. The most interesting thing is that this cake has to be prepared two weeks in advance and stored in a baking sheet in a warm place. In addition, this cake lasts a long time, so you can keep it in the freezer and consume it later.
It is a very rich cake in flavours, mainly marked by the presence of dried fruits, crystallized fruits, cane molasses, port wine and brandy.
Azores Christmas Cake Recipe
Picture by Mulher Portuguesa
Ingredients:
1 kg of wheat flour (without yeast);
1 kg of sugar;
6 eggs;
250 grams of butter;
2 teaspoons baking powder;
1 cup of cane molasses;
1 cup of jam (flavour of your choice);
250 grams of candied fruit;
250 grams of dried fruit (nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, dried figs, sultanas, etc.);
1 glass of Port wine;
Cinnamon powder;
Cloves;
Nutmeg;
Mode of Preparation
The day before the cake is baked, chop the fruit and wrap it in flour, together with a spoon of yeast.
On the day, beat the sugar with the eggs (whole), butter and spices. The butter should be left out of the freezer to be soft. Add the flour to the molasses, sweets and spirits. Everything should be well whipped so that the dough is soft and uniform.
Then add the fruit to the cake dough. The dough can be stirred with your hands because it gets very hard.
After finishing these steps, the dough should be baked in a pan greased with butter and flour for about ½ at 2 hours over low heat. Try not to leave the dough too dry.
So that the cake does not get too dark on the bottom, you can put some baking paper at the bottom of the tin. After all these steps, decorate the cake to taste and you will be ready to enjoy your visits.