With the Christmas season just around the corner, bakers and food fans will be thinking about creating sumptuous seasonal treats from scratch at home.
One such favourite is the traditional Christmas cake that is served up at Christmas dinner, hot and spicey with lashings of cream and brandy butter. As delicious as it is, a lot of work goes into creating the perfect Christmas cake, with some home chefs starting them weeks even months in advance to allow them to mature.
But, if you want a faster and more convenient way to bake a traditional Christmas cake, using an air fryer is a great option.
Not only does our favourite appliance help to reduce baking time but also produces a cake that’s just as moist and delicious as one baked in a conventional oven.
One recipe is capturing the attention of cake lovers, but as well as good quality ingredients, there is a key piece of equipment that’s needed.
Before diving into the baking process, make sure that your air fryer is large enough to hold an 18cm (seven inch) round cake tin. The cake tin itself will need to be air fryer-compatible, allowing for adequate air circulation around it to ensure even baking.
Bakers should also be sure to line it with baking parchment or grease it generously to avoid any sticking issues.
Once you’ve got our equipment ready to go, here’s what else you need to bake the cake:
Ingredients
- Three large eggs
- 300g (10oz) plain flour
- 250g (8oz) softened butter
- 250g (8oz) light muscovado sugar
- One tbsp ground mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
- 410g jar of mincemeat
- 500g (1lb) dried mixed fruit
- Four tbsp brandy
METHOD:
In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, plain flour, softened butter, light muscovado sugar, ground mixed spice, a pinch of salt, mincemeat, and dried mixed fruit, leaving out the brandy, then mix until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a lined cake tin, smoothing the top with a spatula before placing it in the air fryer basket.
Set the air fryer to 160°C (320°F) and bake for 30 minutes, until the top begins to brown slightly.
After 30 minutes, cover the cake with foil to prevent over-browning, ensuring it fits snugly around the edges.
Continue baking for an additional hour and 20 minutes, for a total baking time of 1 hour and 50 minutes.
