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Traditional Irish Wedding Cake Recipe

The recipe which follows is from the kitchen of Mrs. Bee Mannix-Walsh, a well known local chef who, for many years, ran the Cookery Centre of Ireland in Dalkey.

Cake Recipe

Lower Tier:
15 oz raisins
15 oz sultanas
20 oz currants
10 oz mixed peel
5 oz prunes
5 oz dates
5 oz cherries
1 apple
3 oz chopped almonds
3 oz ground almonds
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. mixed spice
Grated ring of 1 lemon
15 oz butter
15 oz sugar (Barbados)
10 eggs
19 oz flour
Cover with
Almond paste 1 1/2 lb.
Water icing 3/4 lb.
Royal icing 2 1/2 lb.		Middle Tier:
9 oz raisins
9 oz sultanas
12 oz currants
6 oz mixed peel
3 oz prunes
3 oz dates
3 oz cherries
1/2 apple
3 oz chopped almonds
3 oz ground almonds
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. mixed spice
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
9 oz butter
9 oz sugar
6 eggs
11oz flour
Cover with
Almond paste 1 lb.
Water icing 1/2 lb.
Royal icing 2 lb.
Top Tier:
3 oz raisins
3 oz sultanas
4 oz currants
2 oz mixed peel
1 oz. prunes
1 oz dates
1 oz cherries
1/2 apple
1 oz chopped almonds
1 oz ground almonds
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. mixed spice
Grated rind of 1/4 lemon
3 oz butter
3 oz sugar
2 eggs
4 oz flour
Cover with
Almond paste 6 oz
Water icing 4 oz
Royal icing 3/4 lb.

Instructions

  1. Prepare fruit and mix it with spice, nuts and lemon rind.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Break in an egg and beat until mixture thickens, mix in a little sieved flour. Continue in this way until all eggs have been added.
  4. Add remainder of flour.
  5. Stir in prepared fruit and mix thoroughly.
  6. Put into prepared tin and bake in very moderate oven.

Size of Tin and Baking Time

Lowest Tier:
12-inch tin
About six hours

Middle Tier:
9-inch tin
About 3 1/2 hours

Top Tier:
6-inch tin
About 1 3/4 hours


Almond Paste Recipe

  1. Crush lumps out of almonds and sieve castor sugar, mix both well together.
  2. Beat eggs, add flavouring, sherry and whiskey. Keep a little of the egg white back for brushing over cake.
  3. Pour slowly into almonds and sugar and mix to stiff paste.
  4. Turn onto sugared board and knead well. Roll out and use as required.


Water Icing Recipe

  1. Sieve icing sugar and put into bowl.
  2. Add boiling water slowly until it is the consistency of thick cream.
  3. Add flavouring and colouring and beat until smooth and glossy.


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Royal Icing Recipe

  1. Roll out sugar on kitchen paper. Put through wire sieve.
  2. Mix with half beaten white of egg, lemon juice and glycerine.
  3. Beat for fifteen minutes.



This is an edited extract
from The Irish Wedding Book by Kim McGuire,
published by Wolfhound Press.

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