Fruit Cake Recipe

We make this Fruit Cake Recipe every Christmas. Despite the long list of ingredients, it is one of those easy cake recipes and surprisingly simple to make - the result is moist and utterly delicious. On the day that you mix the batter into the dried fruit, you should give each member of the family a chance to stir a wish into the cake - this is a silly but rather fun tradition! Best Fruit Cake Recipe offers a lighter tea-cake style cake.

Start this brandied Fruit Cake Recipe the day before you intend to bake it as the dried fruit needs to soak overnight. This will rehydrate and plump up the fruit and will ensure a moister cake.

Although this Fruit Cake recipe calls for a square cake tin, there is nothing to stop you making a round cake. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly.

Adding marmalade to this Christmas Cake recipe may surprise you but it adds to the complex flavor of the cake. Try to use really chunky marmalade with lots of fruit in it which will impart a slightly citrus flavor to the cake. You can use cheap cooking brandy for this cake - don't go using anything expensive.

Ingredients:

For this Christmas Cake recipe you will need a 9 inch / 23 cm square cake tin.

Method:

1. In a very large bowl, mix together the dried fruit, cherries, nuts, marmalade and orange rind. Pour over the brandy. Allow to soak overnight.
2. The next day: Prepare the cake pan. Line the pan with silver foil. Allow enough foil to fold over the cake. Be generous here as there is nothing more irritating than being short. Depending on the width of your foil paper, you may have to line your tin in both directions, having a double thickness on the bottom of the tin. Grease the foil with spray-on cooking oil.



3. Heat the oven to 300° F / 150° C.
4. Cream together the butter and sugar.
5. Add the mixed spice, cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
6. Add the flour and baking powder.
7. Finally, add this mixture to the soaked dried fruit. Stir in, making sure that all the ingredients are well combined.
8. Pour into the prepared cake tin. Fold the silver foil over the cake loosely, leaving space for the steam to escape.
9. Bake for about 2 hours. The cake is ready when a skewer comes out of the cake just clean. Don't overcook the cake. When it is ready, fold the silver foil tightly and allow the cake to cool.
10. Once a week, pour about 2 tablespoons of brandy over the cake. It will be absorbed and helps to keep the cake moist. Not only that, you end up with the best fruit cake recipe ever! The cake will keep well for a good month to six weeks.

*Why use unwaxed oranges? There are pesticides and preservatives that are used in conjunction with the wax in order to preserve the shelf-life of citrus fruits. This is fine if you are squeezing the oranges. But, if you are going to use the zest, you want to avoid eating these products!

Return from Fruit Cake Recipe to Best Cake Recipes

Return from to Easy Cake Recipes (Site Map)

Return to Easy Meal Planning