Mulled Wine Christmas Cake

I can feel myself getting more and more excited about Christmas the closer we get to December. It will soon be time to get the Christmas tree up along with all the pretty fairy lights around the house which makes it feel so cosy. There is nothing better than getting cosy on the sofa with lights twinkling all around you and a glass of warm mulled wine in your hand.

I have been inspired by Schwartz to come up with an exciting recipe using Schwartz herbs and spices, of which I have many in my packed herbs & spices cupboard, and what better cake to make at this time of the year than a Christmas cake.

I was thinking about all the spices and fruit flavours that go into mulled wine and wondered if it would be possible to get those flavours into a cake. Mulled wine is very rich so this would have to be a very dark and rich cake, which is when I thought of my Mum's all time favourite boiled fruit cake which is much less labour intensive than making a regular Christmas cake. I don't have the exact recipe for her boiled fruit cake as she was away on holiday when I needed it, so I've made this up in the hope that it's not too far away from the original, and of course I've added some extra mulled wine flavours, like the wine for example!

Mulled Wine Christmas Cake

50g butter
200g dark soft brown sugar
zest & juice of 1 orange
zest & juice of 1 lemon
350g mixed dried fruit (I used sultanas, raisins, cherries, cranberries & mixed peel)
vanilla pod
100ml water
100ml red wine
3 cinnamon sticks
piece of orange peel studded with 10 cloves
1 tsp mixed spice
2 eggs
300g self raising flour

• Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan except the mixed spice, eggs and flour
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes
• Allow to cool
• Once cool remove the orange peel & cloves & the cinnamon sticks
• Beat in the eggs, spice and flour until well combined
• Pour into a greased & lined loose bottomed or springform cake pan
• Bake in a preheated 160C oven for approx 1 hour - the length of time will depend on the size of your tin as well as your oven. Check after 45 mins, if a skewer comes out clean it is cooked.

You can serve naked (the cake NOT yourself) or decorate, and of course, it's best served with a warm glass of mulled wine...

this recipe has been inspired by Schwartz products

I have also linked up to Lucy's Sunday Prop Shop, Nazima & Laura's One Ingredient Challenge and Karen & Kate's Teatime Treats