Christmas in Cyprus is a family holiday, which means it is usually celebrated in a narrow circle among families. One of the key meals on the table is Christmas cake. It was brought here by British in the 19th century, but it actually tastes very different from the original due to local ingredients.
Christmas cake is usually prepared beforehand as some layers require several days to reach the proper condition. The fruits for the dough should be preserved in syrup, the dough has to soak in a few spoons of brandy for a few days, and the marzipan decorations need skilful hands to look good on top of the cake.
Serves ;10
For the cake
300 g all purpose flour
80 g Brown sugar
5 eggs
170 g melted butter
30 ml cognac , brandy or apple juice
1orange (juice & zest)
50 g raisins
50 g almonds
50 g walnuts
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp grated cloves
1 tbsp rose water
1 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp nutmeg
6 pieces of candied peel
6 pieces of candied quince or pears
1/2 cup candied cherries
100 ml milk
1 tbsp.soda
For the icing
150 g powdered sugar
2 tbsp.milk
1/2 tbsp.liquid vanilla
Preparation
Wash and dry the peel and quince. Cut them into cubes together with the cherries and place them in a bowl together with the brandy. Finely chop the almonds and walnuts.
Preheat the oven to 200ᵒC in air.
Beat the butter with the sugar in the mixer until fluffy. Add one by one the eggs, the flour, the milk, the soda, the spices, the flower water, the zest and the orange juice.
Close the mixer and add the fruits and nuts with the raisins to the mixture and mix with a ladle. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured form and bake for about an hour.
For the icing, mix the powdered sugar with the milk and the liquid vanilla in a bowl until it becomes a smooth mixture.
After the cake is baked and we have left it to cool for 10 minutes, we pour the icing.
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