If you like fruit cake packed to the brim with fruit and nuts, this is the one for you! I lace mine with plenty of brandy which matures and ripenes the cake and really brings out the caramel flavours of the fruits.
Although fruit cake is traditionally served on Christmas Day I prefer to serve mine in the run-up of silly season: it is absolutely delicious when served with a good Gorgonzola cheese after dinner. Bake more than one and tie a ribbon around it....it makes a wonderful gift.
Ripen your fruit cake by wrapping it in a double layer of aluminium foil and then storing it in a plastic container. Open the cake once a week and drizzle about 45ml of brandy on the surface. Wrap it up tightly and repeat the next week. The cake will literally keep for months if kept wrapped in the foil.
Fruit:
1kg mixed raisins, currants and sultanas.
150g glazed cherries, red and green
125ml pecan nuts, roughly chopped
250g dates, chopped roughly
125ml brandy
Mix the fruits together in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle over the brandy. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand overnight.
For the cake:
250g butter
250g brown sugar
6 eggs
45ml apricot jam
Dry ingredients:
750ml cake flour
2,5ml salt
2,5ml mixed spice
2,5ml cinnamon
2,5ml nutmeg
2,5ml ground ginger
10ml baking powder
Preheat your oven to 150℃.
Line a 22cm cake tin or a medium sized bread tin with baking paper.
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream the mixture.
Add the eggs, one at a time and then add the jam. Mix to incorporate thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients to a separate mixing bowl and stir through.
Sprinkle about two thirds of this onto the fruit mixture and mix through.
Add the rest of the flour to the butter mixture and mix.
Now add the butter mixture to the fruit and flour mixture. Mix through with a spatula until there are no trace of flour. Keep mixing, it will all be absorbed.
Spoon the mixture into your prepared baking tin and level with the back of a spoon.
Bake for 3 hours.
Cool the cake in it's tin on a cooling rack until completely cold.
Wrap the fruit cake in a double layer of aluminium foil and store it inside a large plastic container.
Drizzle the fruit cake twice a week, with either brandy, sweet dessert wine or fruit juice.
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