George's Cake of Kings

George's Cake of Kings


This is an overnighter !     And it takes a bit of effort and palaver, but if you are still keen:


Shopping List:

A small trinket to hide in the cake (not plastic please) wrapped in a bit of baking paper)


85 gr citrus candied peel, chopped (homemade?)
100 gr raisins
50 gr pine nuts
50 gr glacé cherries
5 tablespoons brandy (or sherry)

500 gr plain flour (but keep the bag/pot nearby)
3 teaspoons yeast ( easy-blend)
1 teaspoon of salt
150 ml milk
100 gr butter, softened
100 gr caster sugar


2 lemons grated zest
1 orange grated zest

4 eggs, large, beaten, free range please

195 gr candied fruits
6 sugar lumps
1 egg yolk, beaten and mixed with a tablespoon of water

apricot jam, to glaze the cake after baking.




We start with soaking overnight: citrus peel, raisins, pine nuts and cherries in the brandy overnight until they are plump and have soaked up the alcohol.

The next day:  we measure 140 gr. of the 500 gr of flour in a large mixing bowl and mix with the yeast.

Tip the remaining flour and salt in another bowl and put this aside. Warm up the milk ever so slightly, make a little well in the flour mix (the one with the yeast) and slowly add the milk to form a batter. Beat this until it is sort of smooth. Cover this with plastic foil and a clean towel and leave this for 20 minutes until it looks a bit frothy.

In yet another bowl, beat the softened butter, the sugar and the zests until they are light and fluffy and well combined.
Add the beaten eggs, a little at the time mind, beating well after each addition. This will look like it has curdled but it won't effect the cake at all.

Stir the mix into the batter, along with the rest of the flour (the flour with the salt) to make the dough. I use my hands for this as i can "feel" it better. Turn it out onto a well floured surface (keep the flour, bag or pot nearby) and knead this for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Now you can knead in the drained fruit mix. A bit at the time and remember this is a very messy business but don't panic it will turn out well. Just dust the dough, your worksurface and hands with the flour as you work.

You have now washed your big bowl and dusted it a little with flour, so you can put the dough in it and leave it for 2 hours, covered ofcourse, until it is doubled in size. It doesn't matter if it is a bit longer, it just fluffs up a bit more. If you haven't thrown out the drained liquid from the overnight soak, you may now drink that. Cheers!

Butter or spray a large baking sheet. Knead the dough lightly on your freshly floured workspace and shape it onto your prepared baking tray, into a sausage, about 50 cm long. I used the inside ring of my Ikea tin to drape the "sausage" around it. After you have made the ring you can pinch the ends neatly together. Put the little trinket underneath the cake. Cover the cake again and leave it for 1 hour or so until again doubled in size.

In the meantime: Slice the candied fruts and crush the sugar lumps (optional) I used a bit of demerara. Or you can use diabetic sugar. Brush the top of the ring with the beaten egg yolk and scatter the candied fruits (or decorate precisely) with some sugar.  Preheat you oven to 180C.  Then bake the cake for 45 minutes into your preheated oven.

Transfer it to your wire rack and brush the cake with the apricot jam. Leave it to cool completely before cutting it.




The person who finds the trinket will be KING ( or Queen) for the day!



                                                                "Enjoy"