Declare mulled wine season open and seek out fresh cranberries for this spiced cake (it’s also a good way to use up leftovers, come January).
Serves 12
A wine-mulling spice bag*
200ml light, fruity red wine
1 tbsp clear honey
75g ready-to-eat dried figs, chopped
50g crystallised stem ginger, chopped
75g blanched almonds, chopped
50g dried cranberries
50g dried sour cherries
100g light brown soft sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Zest of 2 oranges
100g fresh cranberries
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
For the topping:
75g dried cranberries (or dried sour cherries, or sultanas)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
4 tbsp redcurrant jam
1 Start by lining a buttered 7cm deep loaf tin with baking paper. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 2-3.
2 Place the spice bag in a pan with the red wine and honey and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Leave over a very low heat for 5 mins, then set aside.
3 Mix together the figs, ginger, almonds, dried cranberries, cherries and sugar. Remove the spice bag from the mulled wine, then pour the warm wine over the dried fruit and leave to soak for 30 mins.
4 Stir the eggs, orange zest and the fresh cranberries into the soaked dried fruit. Next, sift in the flour, cinnamon and allspice and mix well.
5 Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 55 mins. Leave to cool in the tin, turning out once cool.
6 To make the topping, gently heat the cranberries, orange juice and jam in a pan over a low heat, stirring until dissolved.
7 Brush the top of the loaf with the topping, then spoon the cranberries along the middle of the loaf and leave to cool before serving.
Cook’s note: If you can’t get dried cranberries or dried sour cherries you can swap for the same weight of sultanas
Taken from Comfort: A Winter Cookbook (Ryland Peters & Small). Photography: © Ryland Peters & Small
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