Rich Christmas Fruit Cake

Rich Christmas Fruit Cake

This rich fruit cake is dense, sweet, boozy and perfect for this Festive Season! Make this cake a month before Christmas, to round out the meal, or to snack on the during the days after Christmas.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 30

Servings25 slices

saltyginger.comMary-Lou

Ingredients

Fruit

100 grams dates
150 grams dried apricots
300 grams Glacé cherries
150 grams raisins
150 grams currents
125 ml brandy

Cake

175 grams butter
150 grams white granulated sugar (caster/granulated)
120 grams light brown sugar
3 eggs (large)
1 tablespoon golden syrup (maple syrup/honey)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon mixed spice
345 grams plain flour (all-purpose/standard grade)
1 teaspoon table salt
150 grams walnuts
½ - 1 cup brandy

Instructions

Day 1

Thinly slice the dates and dried apricots, and slice the cherries in half, place them in the large mixing bowl.
Combine all the fruit into a large mixing bowl and pour over ½ cup of brandy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, cling film or a reusable beeswax wrap cover, and allow to soak for at least 24 hours. Stir the fruit mixture occasionally.
100 grams dates, 150 grams dried apricots, 300 grams Glacé cherries, 150 grams raisins, 150 grams currents, 125 ml brandy

Day 2

Line the cake tin as follows: 4 x pieces of paper at the bottom, going up the sides, then 4 x paper around the inside of the edge of the tin, and 2 x paper for the top of the cake. See notes for the square and round tin below. Once your tin is lined, set aside and preheat the oven to 150°C or 130°Fan, the rack in the middle of the oven.
Cream together the butter, caster sugar, brown sugar, syrup (molasses) until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat until well combined. Add in the vanilla, spices and salt, and mix through.
175 grams butter, 150 grams white granulated sugar, 120 grams light brown sugar, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon golden syrup, 1 teaspoon table salt, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon mixed spice, 1 teaspoon table salt
Sift in the flour and baking powder into the creamed butter, sugar and eggs, and mix until you have a thick smooth batter. Add in the chopped nuts and stir through. Place the dough into the prepared tin, smooth using the back of a spoon or a pallet knife. Cover the top of the cake with the last two pieces of parchment paper, and bake for 2 to 3 hours in the middle rack of the oven. The cake is cooked with a cake tester that comes out clean from the centre of the cake.
345 grams plain flour, 150 grams walnuts
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin (about 3 to 5 hours). Pour about ¼ of the brandy over the top of the cake and allow to soak it in. Turn the cake over onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. Slowly pour ½ of the remaining brandy over the bottom of the cake, allow it to soak into the cake. Line a cleaned cake tin (or container of choice) with 1-2 layers of parchment paper, flip the cake on the right side up inside this container and gently and slowly pour the rest of the brandy over the cake, wrap foil over the top of the tin taking care to not touch the cake. Seal the cake in an airtight container and allow it to mature for 2 to 4 weeks. Check on the cake regularly to admire your handy work, and take in the delicious smell of Christmas.
½ - 1 cup brandy

Week 4

Remove the cake from the tin, slice and serve. I like my cake with a nice custard, it really compliments the rich flavour of the cake. And I'm pretty sure South Africans are obsessed with custard. Fruit cakes can also be served with cheeses, whipped cream or even ice cream.

All temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. Decrease the temperature by 20°C/25°F or gas mark 1 for "fan" or air-fryers.

Notes

Lining the Cake Tin

For a square tin - cut out 4 x paper to fit in the bottom, with at least 5cm to go up the sides. Using non-stick spray (to stick the paper to the tin), place these pieces of parchment paper in the tin, alternating the sides of which the paper goes up the tin. Cut out 4 x lengths of paper that will go up the sides of the tin, for my tin the length needed to be about 90cm long and 10cm wide. Using the non-stick spray to help the paper stick, line the sides of the tin. Cut out 2 x pieces of paper to sit on the top of the cake while baking.

For a round tin - cut out 4 x paper to fit the bottom of the tin with a 2-5cm overhang. Mark out the round bottom of the paper, and cut slits up to this round to allow the paper to sit in the bottom of the tin with the overhangs going up the side. Fit into the tin using non-stick spray to stick the paper to the tin and itself. Cut 4 x lengths of the perimeter of the tin, about 10 cm wide. Using the non-stick spray to help the paper stick, line the sides of the tin. Cut out 2 x pieces of paper to sit on the top of the cake while baking.

Feeding the Cake

Many recipes call for feeding the cake on a weekly basis. However, you can feed the cake with the brandy all at once, and seal the cake up nicely in an airtight container and store it in a dry, dark, cool corner of the pantry (or wherever is best in your house). If you want to feed your cake on a regular basis, simply keep aside half of the brandy that is called for and use this for the weekly feeding.

Oven Temperature & Baking Time

A conventional oven needs to be set at 20°C higher than a fan-forced or convection oven. Oven temperatures are not consistent, the best way to determine if your oven dial is correct is to use an oven thermometer. Check this cake at the 2-hour mark to see how far along the cake is to judge how much longer the cake needs to bake before it's done.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g