Christmas Classics on Your Aga
Christmas Cake
Music: Ah2.Nutcracker
When it comes to the Classic bakes, I think Mary Berry and Delia Smith cannot be beaten. At home, a Mary Berry rich Christmas cake is a seasonal staple - the marzipan ritualistically ripped from its surface by Steve and deposited on Ali's plate, ideally alongside some marzipan fruits - a double serving of marzipan never quite enough!
The Aga really comes into its own on these long slow bakes - locking in moisture and retaining flavour.
To Bake:
- On the Electrickit Advanced, your fruit cake can be cooked in any oven set to 140c for around 4 hours.
- In the Electrickit Classic or eControl, your fruit cake can be cooked in either of the right hand ovens set to 140c for around 4 hours.
- In a traditional 2 oven Aga, place the cake in the centre of the simmering oven for 6 - 10 hours - this will depend on the model of Aga, its age and insulation.
- In a traditional 4 oven Aga, place the grid shelf on the simmering oven floor and cook for 6 - 10 hours.
- Fruit cakes cooked in the simmering oven will be extra moist and delicious. If you prefer a little more browning, start off in the baking oven (or roasting oven with a cold plain shelf) for the first 45 minutes to an hour, then move into the simmering oven.
- Alternatively, some Aga cooks prefer to use a "Cake Baker", no longer made. The mix is placed in the tin, placed on a trivet within a larger pan. This creates a moderate temperature within the roasting oven for longer bakes.
However you choose to bake your cake, wrap well once cool and feed weekly, storing for up to 3 months leading up to the big day.
And when it comes to the decorating, be sure to add an extra layer of marzipan for me 😉
Christmas Pudding
Music: The Christmas Presents. Jingle Bell Rock
Do you wait until stir up Sunday to make your Christmas pudding? I've always been firmly of the opinion that a good Christmas pudding needs time to mature and with that in mind, get the pudding underway any time from mid October to mid November.
This is another case of Mary Berry or Delia Smith to the rescue - why mess with a classic?!
Cooking instructions for your Aga:
- Wrap the pudding with greaseproof paper and then foil, each pleated in the middle to allow for expansion.
- Place the wrapped pudding in an oven proof pan with well fitted lid. Fill with water to halfway up the pudding.
- On the Electrickit, bring to the boil on your induction or radiant heat hob, then move to the traditional hob set to number 3 to gently simmer for an hour. This will ensure that the pudding is thoroughly heated throughout.
- On the eControl, bring to the boil on the instaheat, then move to the traditional plate set to half heat.
- On a traditional Aga, bring to the boil on the boiling plate, then move to the simmering plate.
- After an hour, move to any oven set to 120c (Electrickit or eControl) or the simmering oven in a traditional Aga.
- On the Electrickit, place in the centre of the oven. In a traditional Aga, cook on a grid shelf placed on the base of the oven.
- Leave overnight to cook (don't worry if you leave it for as much as 10-14 hours, it will continue to get richer and stickier.
- Rewrap and store.
- On the big day, simply pop into the back of the simmering oven, still in its wrapping and heat for a minimum of 3 hours (but it won't do any harm doing it for longer). There is no need for water for this second cooking period.
