Christmas Cake !
Plump, boozy dried fruit, glace cherries and nuts. All the things I loved in the Christmas cakes of my past. The denser and the darker the better. Cake that would (and could) last for months (if I didn't eat it sooner). And cake that stayed moist without the need for refrigeration.
My body and taste buds may no longer be able to tolerate these sweet fruit cakes of my youth, but I still have a need (and a desperate want) for a boozy, spicy and dense sliver of cake to sit proudly and lovingly alongside my cup of tea on Christmas day.
So ok, this cake may not be filled with dried fruit and glace cherries, and yes this cake may not last for months nor stay moist without refrigeration, but one bite (let alone the smell of it baking in my kitchen) sends me flying back in time. Back to my happy place of twinkling lights and the sweet sounds of Bing Crosby.
And that can't be bad.
(adapted from the I Quit Sugar Simplicious Cookbook by Sarah Wilson)
