Cake and Wine ~It's Christmas Time!

What's Christmas without cake and wine. Even better is when you get to assist mom to make the cake and wine. She already baked one beforehand, and waited till I came to make the second. I'm sending in this as  my entry to 'Show me Your cake' event hosted by Divya Vikram.

Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
Butter - 8oz
Sugar - 8oz
Eggs - 5 separated
Plain flour - 12oz
Brandy/ Rum/ Orange juice - 3tbsp
Salt - 1/2tsp
Mixed Spice - 1tsp
Vanilla Essence - 1tsp
Lemon and Almond Essence - few drops
Baking soda - 1/2tsp 
Fruits
Almonds/ Cashew nuts - 200gms
Cherries - 125gms
Raisins - 300gms
Sultanas and Currants - 450gms
Dates - 200gms
Mixed peel - 125gms
Caramel Syrup - 3tbsp
Pineapple Preserve - 1/4cup
Orange Marmalade - 1/4cup

Chop all the fruits and nuts and soak with the brandy overnight. Sift the mixed spice, baking soda and flour and keep aside. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks and cream well with the butter and sugar. Then beat in caramel syrup and add in the sifted flours little by little each time and keep aside. Whip egg whites till stiff. Fold in egg whites to the soaked fruits till the fruits are well combined. To the creamed batter add in the pineapple preserve and orange marmalade and mix thoroughly. Add in the fruits and egg whites and evenly mix the batter. Into a greased 9" cake tin, line with aluminum foil and pour in the mixture. Bake in a cool oven at 140C for 3 hours.

White wine

Ingredients:

Water - 10litres

White grape juice - 10litres

Sugar - 5lbs

Yeast - 1 to 2tsp

Mix all the ingredients together and leave to ferment in a closed barrel. You would need to stir the liquid once everyday during the fermentation period. The process should take about 14-21 days. After the fermentation period, strain the liquid into another barrel or cask and let the wine age.