English Christmas muffin - traditional festive pastries. One of the distinguishing features is that in the process of preparing a dish, a large number of spices, dried fruits and alcohol are used.
The story of the creation of the dish
Traditional English Christmas Cupcake has its predecessor. The ancestor of this delicious pastry is the ancient Roman ritual cake, which was prepared from porridge (mainly barley), pine nuts, raisins and pomegranate seeds. His appearance and especially taste, he resembled kutya. In the Middle Ages, dried fruits, spices and honey began to be added to the recipe of the dish, and sugar from the 16th century.
Traditional cooking recipe
A Christmas cake (its English version) was traditionally started to be prepared 6 weeks before December 25, Catholic Christmas. Why so early? There are reasons for that, and we will talk about this now.
In order to make a delicious English Christmas cake, you must first soak the filling components with alcohol. For this purpose, rum, brandy, sherry, madeira, cognac are traditionally used. Other spirits are also less commonly used.
The filling was traditionally served with assorted raisins (light and dark), citrus peel (orange and lemon) and candied fruit. In modern recipes, dried apricots, prunes, cherries, pineapple cubes, currants, dates and more are often used.
According to existing traditions, the mass of the filling should not exceed five hundred grams. It is placed in a jar and poured with alcohol (about 0.5 cups). Marinate the ingredients for at least a week, they must be constantly mixed. Next, the dough was made. Moreover, the whole family took part in the mixing of the semi-finished product. By tradition, all its members could make any wishes that were necessarily fulfilled. Christmas Cupcake English baked for four hours at a temperature of at least 140 degrees. Traditionally, it was decorated with marzipan or white glaze.
Modern techniques in the preparation of traditional baking
Currently an English Christmas Cupcake with Dried Fruits and Nuts they cook a little differently. The main difference is that this process does not take so much time. Modern housewives skip the above steps and proceed immediately to the preparation of goodies.
In order to give the pastry a traditional flavor, a special marinade is made for the filling. Impregnation consists of a mixture of alcohol and very strong boiling tea. It is able to quickly absorb in dried fruits, candied fruits and nuts, giving them a slightly tart and unique taste. Currently, even cheese is often added to the filling.
We offer several simple modern recipes for this baking.
English christmas cupcake. Recipe with photo
First, prepare the filling. For this, a pound of a mixture of dark raisins, candied fruit, chopped prunes and nuts need to be poured with a small amount of good cognac. Stuff the filling, add vanillin and a drop of rum essence. Let it pickle.
English Christmas Cupcake with Dried Fruits and Nuts prepared from a very high-calorie dough.
Two packs of butter must be ground with 450 g of sand. The result should be a lush foam. Mix six hundred grams of flour with a small spoon of soda. Wash twelve eggs. Next, we begin to gradually knead the dough. In the creamy sugar mixture, periodically add flour and one egg each. Mix thoroughly. At the very end, add the filling. Put the mass in the form. First you need to grease it with oil and sprinkle with flour or semolina. Cook in the oven without opening it.
After the first rise of the test on the surface, it is recommended to make small strips with a sharp knife. This will keep the product in shape. Christmas Cupcake English must bake for about fifty minutes. The finished dish can be decorated with icing sugar. Cut into portions and serve.
English Everyday Christmas Cupcake
Mix yolks from ten eggs with 400 grams of sand and butter (one and a half packs). Grind all the ingredients to a white state. Put the filling: raisins (200 g) and chopped candied fruits (100 g), vanillin to taste. Pour a pound of flour. Stir all the ingredients very carefully. Add whipped squirrels at the very end. Knead the dough very carefully and put into a round shape. Be sure to anoint it with butter. Cook in the oven for about fifty minutes, setting the temperature to 220 degrees.
After the cake has cooled, it can be served with tea.
Dark Gorgeous Christmas Cupcake with Glaze
This delicious dessert takes longer to cook than previous options. But the result will be appreciated by all the guests at the table. We offer a recipe for making a real festive English Christmas cupcake. The photo is not able to convey the magnificent aroma and unique taste of this dish, but it will help determine the design. So, let's begin.
On the first day in the morning we do stuffing. To do this, mix two hundred and fifty grams of dark raisins and the same amount of light, one hundred and seventy-five grams of chocolate covered cherry sliced in four, two hundred grams of chopped dried apricots and a handful of candied fruit. Pour all the brandy and leave for a day, and if possible for two.
The next day, start with the test. Thoroughly beat the following ingredients with a blender: three hundred grams of flour, a pinch of grated nutmeg, two packs of soft butter, four hundred grams of cane sugar, five eggs, zest of orange and lemon, a large spoon of black molasses and a quarter cup of chopped almonds. At the very end, be sure to put a pinch of crushed seasonings (coriander and cinnamon). Now you can add the filling gently.
Put the dough in a round shape, which is recommended to be laid out with oiled paper both below and on the sides, pressing it firmly to the edges. Next, the other side of the spoon, level the mixture. It’s better to put a double layer of baking paper on top. Bake a cupcake for at least four hours. An indicator of readiness will be that a skewer stuck in the dough will remain dry and clean.
After that, leave the cake to cool for twenty minutes. Next, pull out of the form and remove the paper. Carefully pierce the base with a skewer, making equal intervals, and carefully pour cognac into the holes. After complete cooling, it is recommended to wrap the product in a double layer of baking paper, and then also in foil. Leave for a day.
A win-win protein glaze recipe
The next day we finish preparing our festive English cupcake.
To prepare the glaze, beat the egg white for two minutes so that it begins to foam. You can do this in different ways - with a mixer, hand mixer or a simple fork. The main thing is that the process should not stop for a second. Then we begin to gradually pour in powdered sugar. It will take at least half a glass, possibly more. When the icing thickens, pour a small spoonful of lemon juice. Continue whisking for thirty seconds. Now very quickly grease the entire surface of the cake with apricot jam, and on top with the resulting glaze. Sprinkle with stars or any other decorations. Once the top layer has completely hardened, the dish can be cut into portions and served with tea.
Dark Christmas cake with "Glorious" icing, prepared according to this recipe, can be stored for a long time subject to certain rules. Let us dwell on this in more detail.
How to store baked goods
Christmas cake (English), if properly prepared, can be stored for a long time - up to three months. To begin with, it is recommended to put the pastries in parchment paper or foil.
In addition, the cupcake should be watered with strong alcohol every two to three days. As a result, the alcohol will evaporate, and the dessert will remain fragrant and juicy.