Flavour Of Brandy In Christmas Cake

Our answer

Rich fruit cakes, such as Nigella's Traditional Christmas Cake (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) usually use dried fruits that have been soaked in alcohol, such as brandy or whisky, in the cake batter. Soaking the fruits before mixing the cake batter helps the fruits to swell up and become soft, giving a better texture to the cake. However during baking most of the alcohol in the brandy will evaporate and although the brandy adds some flavour, it will not be pronouced as it will be mixed with various spices. However you should notice a difference in flavour between a cake made with brandy or whisky and a cake made with another liquid, as the brandy will add complexity to the flavours.

Adding alcohol to a Christmas cake after it has been baked is known as "feeding" the cake. It has two main functions; the first is to add moisture to the cake and the second is to help to preserve the cake. Usually you would feed the cake only once or twice per week as the cake will not absorb the liquid that quickly. We wonder with such intensive feeding if perhaps some of the brandy was actually running off the cake and evaporating, rather then being absorbed. You should also use a skewer to poke some holes in the cake to help the brandy to penetrate to the centre of the cake. But again with the combination of sugar and spices, you should find that the brandy enhances the flavour of the cake rather than dominating it.