We all love Christmas, but does everyone love Christmas cake? This alternative Christmas cake uses egg whites only to create a lighter colour and textured cake. Decorate with frosted cranberries or white fluffy marshmallows for a festive feel. The perfect solution for the family members who don't like a rich fruit cake.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 4). Lightly grease and line two 20cm/8inch sponge tins.
Step 2:
Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder before setting aside. Cream together the butter and sugar before mixing in the flour mixture. Add the milk gradually to form a smooth batter. Fold in the vanilla bean paste.
Step 3:
Put the egg whites into a dry, clean bowl before whisking until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold in the whisked egg whites into the batter, taking care to retain as much air as possible.
Step 4:
Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 30 mins or until a cake skewer comes out clean. If the top of the cakes is starting to colour too much but the cake is not fully cooked try covering lightly with foil for a few minutes at the end of the cook time.
Step 5:
To make the buttercream beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and the milk if necessary to loosen. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Step 6:
To make the frosted cranberries drop the cranberries in the egg white to coat before rolling in the caster sugar until covered. Leave to dry on a lined baking tray for around two hours at room temperature.
Step 7:
To assemble sandwich the cakes together with a layer of buttercream before using the rest to cover the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with frosted cranberries or white fluffy marshmallows. For a glistening snow effect you can lightly spray the cake with edible pearl lustre for an all over shimmer.
Ingredients
MetricImperial
For The Cake
280gPlain white flour
20gCornflour
1 tbspBaking powder
350gSilver spoon caster sugar
120gUnsalted butter (softened)
240mlMilk (whole)
1 tspNielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste
6Free range large eggs
For The Decoration
250gUnsalted butter (softened)
500gSilver spoon icing sugar
2 tbspMilk (whole)
1 tspNielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract
1 tbspPasteurised liquid egg white
200gCranberries
100gSilver Spoon White Caster Sugar
Utensils
2x Cake tins 8in
Spatula
Whisk
Recipe Reviews
I have used this recipe many times and it never fails to please