To celebrate the festive season, Andy Wood, Head Chef at KUDOS-run venue Northampton Saints Rugby Football Club, has provided us with the recipe to his famous Saints Christmas cake.
Not only is it a delicious treat but it’s also really easy to make: here’s Andy’s step-by-step guide to creating your very own Saints Christmas cake…
“In true festive style no expense is spared, no alcohol left to lurk unnoticed in the dark recesses of the drinks cabinet, and no corners cut. Indeed, time honoured techniques were paid due reverence. Bright glacé cherries and soft dried fruits were made plump and heady with both rum and brandy and the butter is whipped to a light fluff with rich dark sugar and free range eggs added one by one so as not to curdle. Then, whilst we’re being so vigilant and mindful of perfection, everything is baked slowly in an oven on a slightly cooler heat than usual so the cake colours gently, rises imperceptibly and, above all, stays moist. It’s almost as if the cake blooms whilst baking as opposed to merely cooking.
“Next up is marzipan. White is the best by far as I find yellow marzipan too contrived an ingredient. After letting the marzipan dry for a day or two so the natural oils in the almonds are kept in, we decorate it with royal icing (it’s easier to make and utilise than one is led to believe and I have a personal aversion to roll-on icing).
“All this happened weeks ago and since then the cakes have had more brandy and rum added as well as being aided and abetted with a little syrup. This serves to enrich the cake for presenting on the day itself.”
Ingredients
- Butter – 250g
- Soft dark brown sugar – 250g
- Free range eggs – 6
- Currants – 375g
- Sultanas – 375g
- Oranges (zest) – Half
- Lemons (zest) – Half
- Bicarbonate of soda – 2.5g
- Plain flour – 250g
- Ground cinnamon – 3.5g
- Ground almonds – 30g
- Nibbed almonds – 30g
- Nutmeg – 2g
- Mixed peel – 125g
- Glacé cherries – 125g
- Dark rum – 22.5ml
- Brandy – 22.5ml
Method
- Soak the cherries, sultanas, currants and mixed peel with the rum and brandy and leave in a covered bowl overnight.
- Beat together the butter and sugar and mix on high speed until the mixture becomes noticeably lighter and fluffy.
- Slow the mixer down and incorporate the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in fully before adding the next.
- Sieve together the dry ingredients; flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices, both types of almond and the citrus zest.
- Mix all three preparations together in a large bowl until fully incorporated.
- Voila! It’s as simple as that. Now divide the mixture into your cake tins lined with greaseproof paper, filling each one three quarters of the way. Bake at 155°C for around one and a half hours and remember to keep an eye on them. If you think they are browning too quickly, turn your oven down. Test them with a skewer by prodding them and seeing if there’s any wet cake mix left on the stick.
- Turn out onto cooling racks when cooked.
‘Feed’ the cooked cake with syrup made of 200g caster sugar brought to the boil with 400ml of water before adding both rum and brandy (the amounts of which depend on how extravagance grips you but I personally think the boozier the better).