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喵媽：這是一位開曼群島朋友Edna家傳自製的黑聖誕蛋糕（Dark Christmas Cake），外表跟我們家的完成品有點不一樣，不知與我們減輕了甜度有沒有關。
　　儘管我們已減輕了甜的份量，但仍覺蛋糕很甜，大讚好味的喵爸形容其口感味道像充滿果香的月餅。Edna解釋完成初期確是這樣，通常存放幾個月後，甜味滲透蛋糕便不會那麼甜，至少會合乎西方口味。
　　依Edna經驗，這蛋糕存放得愈久愈好吃，建議在室溫下用保鮮密封袋（Ziploc Bag）存放於陰涼處數月至一年以上更佳。我們初次做的存放了一星期，或許下次會存放一年試試，不過如香港氣候般濕度較高的地方，大概還是保存於冰箱冷藏格為宜，否則變發霉蛋糕就不好了。
　　在此分享Edna這個黑聖誕蛋糕的原文食譜（英文），並附錄妹妹ava按製作蛋糕經驗調節的製法（中文），感興趣的朋友可試跟著做 ^o^

Edna's Dark Christmas cake

Ingredients:
4 cups mixed candied fruit (cherries, citron, peel)
4 cups raisins (half seedless, half golden)
1/2 cup brandy or rum
1 cup blanched whole almonds
1 cup coursley chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp EACH ground cinamon, alspice, mace
1/2 cup strawberry jam

Mix fruit & raisins in a large bowl. Pour brandy over and let stand minimum 2 hours (better overnight). Stir once or twice.
Prepare cake pans.
Add almonds & pecans to fruit & toss with 1/2 cup flour.
Cream butter with granulated sugar. Add brown sugar and cream thoroughly. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add flavourings. Combine remaining 1&1/2 cups flour, baking soda & spices. Add to mixture and blend until evenly blended. Stir in jam. Mix in floured fruit until all is moistened. Spoon inti prepared pans.
Put a pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake at 275 degrees for about 3 & 1/2 hours until firm to touch and skewere comes out clean. Cool cakes for 30 minutes in pans before removing. When cakes are completely cool, drizzle with more rum or brandy. Wrap carefully and store at least one week before cutting.
If you use gift-giving pans, cut down the baking time accordingly.

It is indeed sweet, but it is meant to be stored for some months before it is eaten. When it is stored, the sweetness mellows into the cake so that it is not too sweet (at least for Western tastes!) when it is finally opened.

This cake can be stored at room temperature. I simply put each cake in a Ziploc bag and store it in a cool cupboard (that is, a cupboard out of the sun). If you wish, you can open the Ziploc every month and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of dark rum over the cake, then re-seal the bag. However, I did not do this since the cake seemed quite moist each time I checked it.

Edna的黑聖誕蛋糕

材料：

4杯		混合的蜜餞車厘子（櫻桃）、糖漬檸檬皮、糖漬橙皮
4杯		葡萄乾（一半無核，一半青提子）
1/2杯		白蘭地或冧酒（蘭姆甜酒）
1杯		杏仁粉
1杯		切碎的山合桃或合桃
1/2杯		低筋麵粉
1/2杯		牛油
3/4杯		砂糖
1杯		金黃幼砂糖
5隻		雞蛋
1茶匙		香草油（酒精35%以上的雲呢拿油）
1/2茶匙		杏仁香油
1 & 1/2杯		低筋麵粉
1/2茶匙		梳打粉（蘇打粉）
1/2茶匙		肉桂粉、五香粉、荳蔻粉
1/2杯		士多啤梨醬（草莓醬）

準備事項：
＊乾果和葡萄乾等放在一盒內加酒浸兩至三天至軟身及入味。
＊長方形烤盤掃牛油，加上牛油紙。
＊金黃幼砂糖、低筋麵粉須各自預先過篩。
＊預備熱水，進爐前一刻放進爐內（若一開始便放水，焗爐難以升溫！）。
＊焗爐預熱135℃。

製法：
＊一碗內放已浸酒的乾果和葡萄乾，加入杏仁粉和合桃，及1/2杯低筋麵粉。
＊另一碗內放牛油用木勻打至軟身後，加入砂糖及金黃幼砂糖，打至忌廉般軟滑。
＊把雞蛋逐隻加入，每次都須攪拌均勻才可，之後加入雲呢嗱油及杏仁油。
＊把1 & 1/2杯低筋麵粉、梳打粉及香料加入，完全混合後加入士多啤梨醬。
＊最後把乾果等加入，攪至粉類消失及均勻即可倒進長方形焗盤。
＊入爐前，用一個正方形焗盤放熱水墊底，一併放進焗爐以135℃焗３小時30分鐘。
＊用竹籤刺入蛋糕，如沒有粉漿，便可出爐。
＊待涼30分鐘後掃上酒，用錫紙和繩把蛋糕包裹好，放冰箱冷藏格約一星期後可享用。
　（Edna建議存放數月至一年以上更佳）