Stir up Sunday is November 20th. This is the day whereby you prepare your Christmas cake and Christmas mincemeat so it can age beautifully over the weeks before Christmas so it tastes incredible on Christmas Day. It also allows you to add alcohol such as rum or brandy to the cake every week to let it soak in slowly. This year I’ve chosen to use a bottle I already had of Black forest Gâteaux flavoured rum.
In preparation I’ve included my ingredient lists so you can shop in advance.
Victorian Christmas Cake
Ingredients
Cake
175g raisins
350g glace cherries
500g currants
350g sultanas
150ml sherry or brandy or rum
2 oranges juiced and zested
250g butter softened
250g brown sugar
4 eggs beaten
1 tbsp black treacle
75g blanched almonds
75g self raising flour sifted
175 plain flour sifted
Decoration
Marzipan pack
Apricot jam or any if you are stuck
Icing pack
Any decorations you like
Christmas Mincemeat
I tend to make my mincemeat at the same time as I do my Christmas cake as the ingredients are broadly the same and you can avoid wasting items. You can add whatever else you really like such as cherries or different fruits or spices to make it really personal. Let people know if you’ve add the alcohol if you are giving them away.
Ingredients:
175g currants
175g raisins
175g sultanas
175g dried cranberries
100g mixed peel
1 small apple diced and cored
125 butter or suet
50g blanched or flaked almonds
225g brown sugar
½ tbs cinnamon
1 tbsp mixed spice
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
200 ml of brandy, rum, sherry or orange juice
the modern mrs beeton 