AMONG THE HOLIDAY favourites were Punch de Crème and Great Cake. Over time, families have passed their great cake recipes on from one generation to the other, but Punch de Crème is mostly bought ready-made from the supermarket or wine shop.
PUNCH DE CRÈME
½ medium can unsweetened condensed milk
¼ pint rum (4 ounces)
3 eggs
Sugar to taste
Vanilla essence to taste
A few drops of lime or lemon juice
Crushed Ice
Nutmeg
Angostura Bitters
METHOD:
Add milk, rum and eggs to sugar, essence and juice. Beat lightly. Add crushed ice and sprinkle with Angostura or grated nutmeg. Punch de crème can be served as a dessert or a drink.
CHRISTMAS CAKE OR RICH FRUIT CAKE
10 ounces flour
¾ pound currants
1 pound mixed peel
6 ounces chopped nuts 
½ pint rum (16 ounces)
1 gill Falernum (4 ounces)
1 gill wine (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons almond essence
2 tablespoons peanut butter
½ cup pineapple jam
12 ounces brown sugar
2 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 ½ tablespoon spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ pounds of raisins
1 pound prunes
½ pound margarine
6 eggs
Browning
METHOD:
Mince all fruit together; add orange rind, rum, Falernum, wine, almond essence, peanut butter, jam and spice. Put in a jar and allow to steep until required.
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs beaten one at a time, then add fruit mixture which may be put over a low heat and allowed to cook for a few minutes to shorten baking time. Add flour and browning.
Put mixture into baking tins greased and lined with two thicknesses of waxed paper. Fill pans ¾ full. Bake in a slow oven 275 degrees F for two to three hours according to the size of the cake.
Test with skewer before removing from the oven. As soon as the cakes are removed from oven, pour mixture of rum, wine, falernum and essence. Pick cakes with skewer and pour as much of the mixture as cake will absorb without flooding pans. Allow cakes to remain in pans two or three days to absorb liquor.
This article was first published on December 21, 1975.