40 Knots Christmas Cake
- 1/4 lb Fruit peel mix of orange and lemon
- 1 1/4 lbs Pickled on Grapes - 1 to 2 jars as per your liking, rinsed and brine strained of spices
- 1 1/4 lbs Dried cranberries
- 1/2 lb Blonde Raisins
- 1/4 lb Dried Black Currants
- 1/4 lb Slivered Almonds
- 1/4 lb Pecans
- 1/4 cup Flour to dredge fruit
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Golden Yellow Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 cup 40 Knots Pilot
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Mix fruit and stir in Pickled on Grape brine that has been strained to remove spices. If you don't have enough brine, no problem, add 40 Knots Pilot. Let stand overnight.
Cream butter and add in sugar. Add in eggs. Beat. Mix dry ingredients and Pilot into the batter.
Add nuts to the fruit mixture. Strain excess liquid. Liquid can be reserved for "feeding" the cake while it is warm after baking if you are going to freeze the cake for one to three months.
Dredge the fruit and nut mixture with flour.
Gently stir in fruit and nut mixture to batter.
Line loaf pan with parchment paper. There is a very small amount of baking soda so you can fill almost to the top.
Heat over to 250°. Place loaf pan in the oven. Place a small pot of water beside the loaf ban. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.
When cool, wrap each loaf with tinfoil and then plastic. Freeze to blend and enrich flavors.
May frost with almond paste or marscapone. Marzipan is also delicious.
Slice and serve.
