Food & Drink

Recipe: Here's how to make traditional whiskey-filled Irish Christmas Cake

WE ALL dabbled in baking this year, now it's time to put those skills to the test.

Making a traditional Irish Christmas Cake takes time and effort, but the first moist, rich and crumbly bite makes it all worth it.

Since we all have a little extra time on our hands this year, there's never been a better time to learn how to make this delectable traditional dish.

And so, without further ado, here's the recipe for the perfect traditional Irish Christmas Cake, thanks to Delia and Foodellers...

What you'll need:

For the cake:

For the almond icing:

For the royal icing:

How to make it:

The cake:

Put the raisins, sultanas and currants in a large bowl and add 4 tablespoons of whiskey. Mix well, cover and leave for 12 hours to allow the whiskey to be absorbed into the fruit.
Preheat the oven at 130C/266F and line a 18cm/8" round tin with a double layer of parchment paper
Take a and pour flour, room-temperature butter, sugar, eggs, lemon and orange peel, mixed spices and nutmeg, and beat until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy
Then, take the whiskey-infused fruits along with raisons, almonds and almond flour and pour these into the bowl. Mix well using a wooden spoon until all ingredients are well combined and your mixture is extremely sticky
Transfer the mixture into the round tin, smoothen and level the surface and bake for around 5 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean at 130C/266F.
Allow to completely cool, wet with whiskey and wrap it in three sheets of parchment paper. Store the cake in room temperature in an airtight container, wetting it with more whiskey every 3-4 days desired to make the cake last longer without going stale.
Brush the cake with your almond icing then cover with the royal icing

The almond icing:

Crush the lumps out of your almonds and mix with sieved caster sugar
Beat the eggs, keeping a little egg white for later, then add flavourings and whiskey. Pour in the almonds and sugar and mix to make stiff paste
Turn on sugared board, knead and roll out. Brush the Christmas cake with egg white and decorate with almond paste.

The royal icing:

Place egg whites in a bowl, stir in icing sugar a spoonful at a time until icing is thick
Whisk with electric whisk for 10 minutes or until icing stands up in stiff peaks, then stir in glycerine
Spread icing all over the top and sides of the Christmas cake as evenly as possible, using a broad-blade knife
Add decorations to cake as needed
Leave cake overnight to allow icing to dry out
Enjoy your hard work with a big slice and a good cup of tea!