The late Séamus Mhicil Tom was one of Ros na Rún’s most legendary characters who sadly passed away late last year. There was never a dull moment in the life of the roguish Séamus Mhicil Tom; and his 20 years on the show were filled with mischief, from illicit poitín-making to his many run ins with the authorities!
Ros na Rún have unearthed the recipe for his signature Christmas Cake complete with his secret ingredient: a splash of poitín! To avoid a run-in with the authorities but staying true to Séamus Mhicil Tom’s favourite tipple, Ros na Rún recommends using the (legally) Connemara distilled Micil Poitín!
Serves 12
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Oven Temperature: 165°C/325°F
Ingredients:
- 225g raisins
- 225g sultanas
- 50g candied peel
- 50g sliced glacé cherries
- 25g chopped almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 cup poitín 250g flour pinch of salt
- 175g butter/margarine
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 eggs
Method:
- Soak the fruit, spices & chopped almonds in the poitín for a couple of hours/overnight.
- Line and grease a deep 8-inch tin.
- Sieve flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream butter or margarine and sugar together, and beat in the eggs until fully incorporated. Beat in the flour & salt.
- Add soaked fruit, spices and chopped almonds to the cake mixture and pour into your cake tin, spreading out the mixture evenly.
- Cover the cake with a double sheet of greaseproof or brown paper and bake for three hours. When it’s done, remove cake from oven and leave in the tin until cold.
To Decorate: ALMOND PASTE
Preparation Time: 20–30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 275g ground almonds
- 275g icing sugar
- 275g caster sugar
- A few drops almond essence
- 2 egg yolks
- 2–3 tablespoons whiskey or spiced rum
- 1 tbsp. apricot jam (sieved and heated)
Method for almond paste:
- Put ground almonds into a bowl and sieve in the sugars.
- Add almond essence, egg yolks and spirits.
- Mix to a smooth paste, using hands in preference to a wooden spoon.
- Turn out onto a board or work table dusted with icing or finely granulated sugar, and knead until smooth. Avoid over-kneading as this can cause the paste to become too oily and unmanageable.
- Apply to top of cake.
To Decorate: ROYAL ICING
To cover: an 8-inch cake
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 675g icing sugar
- 3 free-range egg whites
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1½ tsp glycerine
- Extra egg white to thin icing if required
Method:
- Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl.
- Put the egg whites into a seperate bowl, add the glycerine and strained lemon juice.
- Beat a little with a fork before adding the icing sugar to the mixture and beat it is very stiff and white and stands in peaks.
- Keep the icing covered with a damp cloth.
- Apply icing to cake by spreading almost all of the mixture on top (saving a little for decorating the cake); with a palate knife or spatula work the icing out to the edge and down the sides.