It's time to bake Christmas cakes.
I made the one above a couple of years back and my talented husband decorated it. This year I'm switching recipes and using a recipe from Mary Berry, the queen of TV cakes.
It's takes a while, but Christmas cake is the centerpiece of most British Christmas tables.
Fancy having a go?
Here's Mary Berry's recipe
Ingredients
For the cake
- 175g/6oz raisins
- 350g/12oz natural glacé cherries, halved, rinsed, and thoroughly dried
- 500g/1lb 2oz currants
- 350g/12oz sultanas
- 150ml/¼pt brandy or sherry, plus extra for feeding
- 2 oranges, zest only
- 250g/9oz butter, softened
- 250g/9oz light muscovado sugar
- 4 free-range eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 75g/3oz blanched almonds, chopped
- 250g/9oz plain flour
- 1½ tsp mixed spice
For the covering
- about 3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
- icing sugar
- 675g/1lb 8oz marzipan
For the royal icing (I bought mine premade.)
- 3 free-range eggs, whites only
- 675g/1½lb icing sugar, sifted
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1½ tsp glycerine
Method
- For the cake, place all the dried fruit, including the cherries, into a large mixing bowl, pour over the brandy and stir in the orange zest. Cover with clingfilm and leave to soak for three days, stirring daily.
- Grease and line a 23cm/9in deep, round tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1.
- Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle and almonds into a very large bowl and beat well (preferably with an electric free-standing mixer). Add the flour and ground spice and mix thoroughly until blended. Stir in the soaked fruit. Spoon into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
- Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for about 4-4½ hours, or until the cake feels firm to the touch and is a rich golden brown. Check after two hours, and if the cake is a perfect colour, cover with foil. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
- When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little extra brandy. Wrap the completely cold cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil and store in a cool place for up to three months, feeding at intervals with more brandy. (Don’t remove the lining paper when storing as this helps to keep the cake moist.)
- The week before you want to serve, begin covering the cake.
- For the covering, stand the cake upside down, flat side uppermost, on a cake board which is 5cm/2in larger than the size of the cake.
- Brush the sides and the top of the cake with the warm apricot jam.
- Liberally dust a work surface with icing sugar and then roll out the marzipan to about 5cm/2in larger than the surface of the cake. Keep moving the marzipan as you roll, checking that it is not sticking to the work surface. Dust the work surface with more icing sugar as necessary.
- Carefully lift the marzipan over the cake using a rolling pin. Gently level and smooth the top of the paste with the rolling pin, then ease the marzipan down the sides of the cake, smoothing it at the same time. If you are careful, you should be able to cover the cake with no excess marzipan to trim but, if necessary, neatly trim excess marzipan from the base of the cake with a small sharp knife. Cover the cake loosely with baking parchment and leave for a few days to dry out before adding the royal icing.
- For the royal icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they become frothy. Mix in the sifted icing sugar a tablespoonful at a time. You can do this with a hand-held electric whisk, but keep the speed low.
- Stir in the lemon juice and glycerine and beat the icing until it is very stiff and white and stands up in peaks.
- Cover the surface of the icing tightly with clingfilm and keep in a cool place until needed.
- To ice the cake, place all the icing onto the top of the cake. Spread evenly over the top and sides of the cake with a palette knife. For a snow-peak effect, use a smaller palette knife to rough up the icing.
- Leave the cake loosely covered overnight for the icing to harden a little, then wrap or store in an airtight container in a cool place until needed.
- Did you know werewolves love cake? Biscuits, buns, and shortbread too.
- Ellie, a woman who'd endured two years of sexual slavery, discovered the way to a werewolf's heart is through his stomach. Once they rescued her, she took over the kitchen. One werewolf proposed when he tasted her food.
- Blurb
- The scars on Ellie Padget’s cheek are a constant reminder of the times she tried to escape from sexual slavery. Two years ago, Joel—alpha in waiting of the Tundra-Tough pack—led the rescue party that freed her. She’s loved him ever since.
- Their relationship finally explodes into steaming sex, but he offers to pay her off. She walks away with her head high and her heart shattered. When she learns of a plot to destroy Joel and his pack, her only option is return to his side and warn him.
- Joel has to fight to retain the pack that should be his by right, and no one can leave until the pack has a new alpha. He’s horrified when Ellie turns up on the night he’s to meet the woman he’s agreed to marry but never met. She’s stuck there until he claims his birthright. Finally, he realizes Ellie’s his true mate. Now he has to choose between his arranged marriage, and the one woman he truly loves. Will he choose with his head or his heart?
- To Mate a Werewolf is a stand alone story within the Scattered Siblings series.
Buy links
Excerpt
Who’d have thought that deep rumbling noise Joel made could be so sexy? When he caged Ellie with his body, her nipples ached, and liquid honey filled her cunt. Her legs trembled, and her pussy throbbed with sensual need. Shyly, she looped her arms around his neck and glanced around the cliff top. Whitby Abbey towered over them, and waves lapped at the harbor below. The town was just coming to life, and no tourists had ventured up there yet. Glad they were alone, she stepped still closer, and let Joel’s body warm her.
Two years back, when the Elves still imprisoned her, they’d have punished her for seeking even a temporary comfort. Today Joel held her as if she was precious and perfect. His cologne reminded her of fresh mountain streams or hoarfrost shimmering in dawn’s first light. His hair felt soft and silky as she twirled the ends around her fingers.
Joel growled again. The sound vibrated through her body, sending shock waves of pleasure exploding through her. She’d never felt so alive or so eager as when his lips brushed her ear. Every touch of his hand, even the way his breath tickled as it flowed over her neck, was a new delight for her to savor.
For someone who’d been abused in terrible ways, her body thrummed with carnal desires. The heat Joel sparked inside her shattered the barriers she’d erected to block out her six months of sexual slavery. Two years of easy acceptance from Joel’s squadron of Lykae soldiers had helped rebuild her confidence.
She’d loved Joel from the start. He’d led the rescue party that freed her from sexual slavery and held her while the drugs the Elves had tipped down her throat had worn off. After the sex-potions wore off and Ellie was safe, he’d kept his distance.
Now, he wanted her as much as she wanted him, if the way his cock bulged beneath his pants was anything to go by. They didn’t have a future, but this interlude with Joel—and it could never be more—would finally put her past behind her.
This one-sided-love thing sucked. She’d dreamed of so much more, but maybe just once she could have meaningless sex with Joel. Afterward she’d still need to move on.
Other Lykae males had tried to date her, but her stupid heart demanded she save herself for Joel. If only he didn’t have eyes of the same clear blue as the turquoise beads in his hair, maybe she wouldn’t have hurt so badly. Add in his sculpted cheekbones and dirty blond hair that was striped with a dozen different shades of brown, and she was lost.Damn, he’s as handsome as he is…lickable.
Today she set out to reclaim the life she’d lived before she knew about Elves and Lykae, but moving on hurt. This morning she’d fled the otherworld, but leaving Joel behind had etched cracks in her heart. They ran deeper than the scars Broken Nose had carved in her cheek.
Not that Joel ever wanted her before today.
Ellie leaned into him and wrapped one leg around his calf. Her lips parted, and he moved closer, a fraction of an inch at a time, giving her the chance to turn away and refuse him. Not that she would. She’d dreamed of his lips on hers or his hands on her breasts, and today her secret fantasies were coming true.
Determined not to let the moment pass, she went up on tiptoe and buried her hands in his hair. He moved closer until his lips hovered over hers.
“Don’t stop,” she begged.
He took control, dominating her, demanding everything—and she gave it willingly. His lips were firm against hers, possessive and masterful. His kiss sent shivers of excitement down her spine. When his tongue tangled with hers, she ran her soft, military-style trainer up and down his calf. With a soft sigh, she arched her back and thrust her breasts forward in invitation.
Joel groaned and kissed his way down her neck. She breathed in quick, sharp gasps. Again Ellie curled her fingers in his hair, tugging gently.
He slid his hands under her T-shirt and rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. She moaned as if he’d hotwired her sex drive. Maybe he had, but she wasn’t complaining. He stared into her eyes, patient, giving her chance to deny him. Instead, she nodded slightly, then shuddered with delight as he trailed his fingers around her midriff. And there went her bra. She hadn’t even realized he’d unfastened it, and now it lay at her feet along with the regulation black-and-turquoise T-shirt she didn’t remember shedding.
She felt vulnerable, making out on the cliff, breasts bared, but these moments with Joel were precious—memories that would sustain her as she rebuilt her life. His warriors’ hands felt rough against her soft skin. She loved the new sensations he woke inside her. Heat rolled through her, simmering and warming her blood.
With Joel, she’d learn how sex should be. She’d forget the way the Elves had forced her to perform sex acts for their pleasure, and move on. She wanted that more than anything. If only Joel would stop moving in slow motion. He was clearly willing to stop if his touch brought back too many bad memories, and she loved him all the more for it. But…Damn it. He’s killing me with kindness.
Ellie wanted a fierce loving she’d remember all her life. Instead he gave her a leisurely seduction that drove her crazy. She shivered when he tongued her left nipple. He stroked and caressed the other between his finger and thumb. His touch fired her up, made her blaze with sensual hunger. She’d never needed anyone this way. Even without the Elves’ nymphomaniac potions, her body burned for Joel.
Here on Whitby cliff top, he carried her into a world of sensation and animalistic pleasure. If she’d been a Lykae, she’d have howled with delight. Her nipples peaked, and the damp heat spread through her cunt.
Ecstasy, this stolen liaison with Joel Blackheart was pure ecstasy. Addictive too. The taste of his lips and the hard planes of her body as he pressed against her gave her a tantalizing glimpse of things she could never fully possess.
It didn’t matter that their love all flowed from her to him. She needed him to show her how great sex could be. With Joel, she could replace all her bad memories with something honest and good. When her hand brushed against his cock, it pulsed. For a moment she hesitated, then closed her hand around it. Big. So big. Lykae are definitely better hung than Elves.
“More,” she whispered. “I need more.”
Joel looked around, checking their surroundings.
Doesn’t he want to be seen with me? No one else ventured up to Whitby Abbey at this time of year. It was still early by Lykae military standards, and by their standards, it was almost time for a midmorning snack. I wish he’d snack on me.
He gathered her in his arms and leaped the high barrier enclosing the abbey grounds. Somehow she managed to scoop up her clothes. She had to leave her kit bag, but there was no one here to rifle through it. Then she relaxed and enjoyed being in the arms of the man she loved. Despite the way she nestled against his chest, he landed with feral grace. Ellie grinned, glad he’d found somewhere private.
She was going to have sex—not the soul-shaming, force-you kind. This would be sex tinged with respect and kindness, something she’d never experienced before. Deep down she longed for soul-shattering sex, the sort that melded two people into one, but it couldn’t be. Not when he didn’t love her.
She’d always been able to pretend things were the way she wanted, not the way they were. For now, she’d pretend they were together forever, and accept anything Joel offered. Mated? Me and a Lykae alpha. So not happening but…
“Dreaming,” her mother had called it between mouthfuls of gin.
Joel sniffed the air, tilted his head, and listened. Seagulls screeched, and way at the bottom of the cliff, fishermen joked as they landed their catch. Ellie could barely hear them, but she’d lay odds Joel could distinguish every word. Once he decided the area was secure, he laid her on a mossy bank. She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as his hungry gaze swept over her.
Come on, Joel. Fuck me, please.
She lay, leg bent at the knee, hair mussed, and lips swollen from his kiss. Her nipples beaded as Joel’s tongue made slow, sensual strokes against hers. Everything inside her cried out for him to lick her breasts, or better still, her pussy.
He stared at her the way a starving gourmet would salivate over his best ever feast. She’d kill to have him look at her that way every day.
See? Dreaming again.
Joel rolled each of her nipples in turn between his thumb and forefinger. Nothing had ever felt this good, or left her so desperate for more. She squirmed beneath him, her panties already damp with her desire.
He lowered his head to her breasts, and between long, leisurely licks that made her thighs quiver, he asked, “Are you sure about this? I’ll stop if you want.”
“Want you inside me.” She panted and unfastened her waistband. When she lifted her hips, he pulled her Lykae military-issue trousers over her thighs. Somehow her panties came with them. Tricksy, adorable wolf. Her hand shook as she fumbled at the leather thong holding up his pants.
Joel grinned, pulled off his military shirt, and kicked off his pants. Once they were both naked, he bent closer and took possession of her lips. Their kiss was endless, their passion igniting.
Sweet sensation consumed her. Her pussy throbbed in anticipation, and her throat dried. Her fingers curled until her nails dug into her palms. Nervous but excited, she relaxed her hand and reached for his cock. It felt hot and hard, and her fingers didn’t quite close around it.
He growled and thrust into her fist.
Her feelings consumed her. This ardor was too much, her need too great. She took quick, shallow breaths as she stared at his high cheekbones and kissable lips. When she looked into his eyes, she thought she’d drown.
Two years back, when the Elves still imprisoned her, they’d have punished her for seeking even a temporary comfort. Today Joel held her as if she was precious and perfect. His cologne reminded her of fresh mountain streams or hoarfrost shimmering in dawn’s first light. His hair felt soft and silky as she twirled the ends around her fingers.
Joel growled again. The sound vibrated through her body, sending shock waves of pleasure exploding through her. She’d never felt so alive or so eager as when his lips brushed her ear. Every touch of his hand, even the way his breath tickled as it flowed over her neck, was a new delight for her to savor.
For someone who’d been abused in terrible ways, her body thrummed with carnal desires. The heat Joel sparked inside her shattered the barriers she’d erected to block out her six months of sexual slavery. Two years of easy acceptance from Joel’s squadron of Lykae soldiers had helped rebuild her confidence.
She’d loved Joel from the start. He’d led the rescue party that freed her from sexual slavery and held her while the drugs the Elves had tipped down her throat had worn off. After the sex-potions wore off and Ellie was safe, he’d kept his distance.
Now, he wanted her as much as she wanted him, if the way his cock bulged beneath his pants was anything to go by. They didn’t have a future, but this interlude with Joel—and it could never be more—would finally put her past behind her.
This one-sided-love thing sucked. She’d dreamed of so much more, but maybe just once she could have meaningless sex with Joel. Afterward she’d still need to move on.
Other Lykae males had tried to date her, but her stupid heart demanded she save herself for Joel. If only he didn’t have eyes of the same clear blue as the turquoise beads in his hair, maybe she wouldn’t have hurt so badly. Add in his sculpted cheekbones and dirty blond hair that was striped with a dozen different shades of brown, and she was lost.Damn, he’s as handsome as he is…lickable.
Today she set out to reclaim the life she’d lived before she knew about Elves and Lykae, but moving on hurt. This morning she’d fled the otherworld, but leaving Joel behind had etched cracks in her heart. They ran deeper than the scars Broken Nose had carved in her cheek.
Not that Joel ever wanted her before today.
Ellie leaned into him and wrapped one leg around his calf. Her lips parted, and he moved closer, a fraction of an inch at a time, giving her the chance to turn away and refuse him. Not that she would. She’d dreamed of his lips on hers or his hands on her breasts, and today her secret fantasies were coming true.
Determined not to let the moment pass, she went up on tiptoe and buried her hands in his hair. He moved closer until his lips hovered over hers.
“Don’t stop,” she begged.
He took control, dominating her, demanding everything—and she gave it willingly. His lips were firm against hers, possessive and masterful. His kiss sent shivers of excitement down her spine. When his tongue tangled with hers, she ran her soft, military-style trainer up and down his calf. With a soft sigh, she arched her back and thrust her breasts forward in invitation.
Joel groaned and kissed his way down her neck. She breathed in quick, sharp gasps. Again Ellie curled her fingers in his hair, tugging gently.
He slid his hands under her T-shirt and rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. She moaned as if he’d hotwired her sex drive. Maybe he had, but she wasn’t complaining. He stared into her eyes, patient, giving her chance to deny him. Instead, she nodded slightly, then shuddered with delight as he trailed his fingers around her midriff. And there went her bra. She hadn’t even realized he’d unfastened it, and now it lay at her feet along with the regulation black-and-turquoise T-shirt she didn’t remember shedding.
She felt vulnerable, making out on the cliff, breasts bared, but these moments with Joel were precious—memories that would sustain her as she rebuilt her life. His warriors’ hands felt rough against her soft skin. She loved the new sensations he woke inside her. Heat rolled through her, simmering and warming her blood.
With Joel, she’d learn how sex should be. She’d forget the way the Elves had forced her to perform sex acts for their pleasure, and move on. She wanted that more than anything. If only Joel would stop moving in slow motion. He was clearly willing to stop if his touch brought back too many bad memories, and she loved him all the more for it. But…Damn it. He’s killing me with kindness.
Ellie wanted a fierce loving she’d remember all her life. Instead he gave her a leisurely seduction that drove her crazy. She shivered when he tongued her left nipple. He stroked and caressed the other between his finger and thumb. His touch fired her up, made her blaze with sensual hunger. She’d never needed anyone this way. Even without the Elves’ nymphomaniac potions, her body burned for Joel.
Here on Whitby cliff top, he carried her into a world of sensation and animalistic pleasure. If she’d been a Lykae, she’d have howled with delight. Her nipples peaked, and the damp heat spread through her cunt.
Ecstasy, this stolen liaison with Joel Blackheart was pure ecstasy. Addictive too. The taste of his lips and the hard planes of her body as he pressed against her gave her a tantalizing glimpse of things she could never fully possess.
It didn’t matter that their love all flowed from her to him. She needed him to show her how great sex could be. With Joel, she could replace all her bad memories with something honest and good. When her hand brushed against his cock, it pulsed. For a moment she hesitated, then closed her hand around it. Big. So big. Lykae are definitely better hung than Elves.
“More,” she whispered. “I need more.”
Joel looked around, checking their surroundings.
Doesn’t he want to be seen with me? No one else ventured up to Whitby Abbey at this time of year. It was still early by Lykae military standards, and by their standards, it was almost time for a midmorning snack. I wish he’d snack on me.
He gathered her in his arms and leaped the high barrier enclosing the abbey grounds. Somehow she managed to scoop up her clothes. She had to leave her kit bag, but there was no one here to rifle through it. Then she relaxed and enjoyed being in the arms of the man she loved. Despite the way she nestled against his chest, he landed with feral grace. Ellie grinned, glad he’d found somewhere private.
She was going to have sex—not the soul-shaming, force-you kind. This would be sex tinged with respect and kindness, something she’d never experienced before. Deep down she longed for soul-shattering sex, the sort that melded two people into one, but it couldn’t be. Not when he didn’t love her.
She’d always been able to pretend things were the way she wanted, not the way they were. For now, she’d pretend they were together forever, and accept anything Joel offered. Mated? Me and a Lykae alpha. So not happening but…
“Dreaming,” her mother had called it between mouthfuls of gin.
Joel sniffed the air, tilted his head, and listened. Seagulls screeched, and way at the bottom of the cliff, fishermen joked as they landed their catch. Ellie could barely hear them, but she’d lay odds Joel could distinguish every word. Once he decided the area was secure, he laid her on a mossy bank. She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as his hungry gaze swept over her.
Come on, Joel. Fuck me, please.
She lay, leg bent at the knee, hair mussed, and lips swollen from his kiss. Her nipples beaded as Joel’s tongue made slow, sensual strokes against hers. Everything inside her cried out for him to lick her breasts, or better still, her pussy.
He stared at her the way a starving gourmet would salivate over his best ever feast. She’d kill to have him look at her that way every day.
See? Dreaming again.
Joel rolled each of her nipples in turn between his thumb and forefinger. Nothing had ever felt this good, or left her so desperate for more. She squirmed beneath him, her panties already damp with her desire.
He lowered his head to her breasts, and between long, leisurely licks that made her thighs quiver, he asked, “Are you sure about this? I’ll stop if you want.”
“Want you inside me.” She panted and unfastened her waistband. When she lifted her hips, he pulled her Lykae military-issue trousers over her thighs. Somehow her panties came with them. Tricksy, adorable wolf. Her hand shook as she fumbled at the leather thong holding up his pants.
Joel grinned, pulled off his military shirt, and kicked off his pants. Once they were both naked, he bent closer and took possession of her lips. Their kiss was endless, their passion igniting.
Sweet sensation consumed her. Her pussy throbbed in anticipation, and her throat dried. Her fingers curled until her nails dug into her palms. Nervous but excited, she relaxed her hand and reached for his cock. It felt hot and hard, and her fingers didn’t quite close around it.
He growled and thrust into her fist.
Her feelings consumed her. This ardor was too much, her need too great. She took quick, shallow breaths as she stared at his high cheekbones and kissable lips. When she looked into his eyes, she thought she’d drown.
Copyright © Kryssie Fortune
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