Experimenting with Sloe Gin

I make lots of Christmas cakes between September and November and this year has been no exception.  My papercrafting is interrupted by the mixing of all the cakes and caring for them once made which is a crucial part of them tasting just right.

This year I also had a glut of other dried fruits - dates, figs, apricots etc so decided to put a twist on the recipe I have used for the last 25 years.  I also had some homemade slow gin given to me by my lovely crafty pal Glynis so I decided to experiment.

 I used the base recipe for the Christmas cake but instead of black treacle used maple syrup and instead of the traditional fruits of raisins, currants, sultanas and mixed peel I used up what was in the cupboard.

I must say I was thrilled with the outcome and made two 7 inch cakes.  One for Glynis and one for testing.  I sent out to 10 different testers - some I have never met but chat to on facebook and so far the feedback has been very pleasing.  Here are some comments.

Patricia

O M G my cake arrived and i have died and gone to heaven lets just say the piece is not big enough i need the whole cake lol it is absolutely fantastic, eaten half soon as i opened it, going to make a cuppa and relish the rest. Thank you so much Janet and also for the lovely card. xxxx

Margaret

mmmmmmmmmmm it was absolutely scrumptious. so fruity and moist and the alcohol taste remained in my mouth. i was going to give the dog a few crumbs but forgot as it tasted so good. huge thanks, and btw the little red heart is now permanently hanging from my curtain hold back. thanks again xxxx

Denize

 Oh wow thank you so so much for my cake parcel received this morning Janet! What an absolute treat for my dessert with my lunch! It was absolutely delicious. I was going to save some for when my daughter got home as I know she would love it but temptation beat me and I scoffed it all myself with a nice cuppa! Thank you so much Janet! Totally totally scummy :) xxx

Carole

 Mine arrived today, and was scoffed today. Now I have to say, that I am really funny about fruit cake. I don't like it dry looking, and if it even looks dry, then I won't eat it. Yours Janet Clarke - looked beautifully moist. I also liked its colour - I thought it would look much paler, but it looked just right. I took a small 1.5cm x 1.5cm corner sample first, and thank god I did ! It was beautifully moist on the tongue, and then within seconds, the taste hit me ! Wow ! Sorry, but after that, it was literally demolished .... in like seconds .... I didn't stop until it was gone. The taste was heavenly, and I couldn't tell that it was sloe gin that had been used. It just tasted delicious. The fruit blended well with the sloe gin, and there was no after-taste like you get with supermarket christmas fruit cakes. The sloe-gin definitely complimented the fruit, of which there was ample, but not overloaded so that it was all fruit and no cake. ( I'll still have to have my 5 a day) !!! As I say ... more or less after the first sample, it was gone ... so if you want a more in-depth analysis, then you will HAVE to send me more :) Thank you also for the beautiful packaging that it was sent in as well, that melted my heart before the cake did ! Thanks for letting me take part in the cake tasting event - it was mucho enjoyed - love 'n' hugs xxxxxxxxxx

I must say its been one of the most fun experiments I have ever done so thanks for playing along to my 10 official testers - still waiting to hear from a few!

Hope your weekend has been fun.

Thanks for stopping by

Janet xx