Fruits cakes are a popular choice for wedding cakes, Christmas cakes, Easter cakes and other celebration cakes. Fruit cakes can be baked well in advance. They have a longer shelf life than other cake flavours like vanilla and chocolate cakes due to the alcohol content and alcohol treatment after baking.  This fruit cake recipe is very versatile and can easily be adapted by using different kinds of fruits or omitting the nuts.

Fruit cake recipe

Ingredients for soaking the dried fruits

400g mixed dried fruit

100g black currants

50g chopped dried prunes

25g mixed peel

1 cup rum

2 cups brandy

3 cups fortified wine

50g cranberries

Ingredients to add at baking

60g glace’ cherries

30g mixed chopped nuts

1 teaspoon mixed spices

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

175g dark brown sugar

175g softened butter

175g plain flour

40g ground almonds

8 tablespoon brandy for baking

1 tablespoon black treacle

 

Method

1. Soak the dried fruits in the rum, brandy and fortified wine. If not sure how to do this see my tutorial on How to soak dried fruits for a fruit cake tutorial  
2. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius
3. Line a 6 inch cake tin based and inner sides. wrap wet newspapers or bake even strips around the outside of the cake tin.
4. Cream butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy
5. Add the eggs a little at time.
6. Sieve the plain flour and mixed spice and add t0 the cake mixture
7. Add in your glace cherries, chopped nuts and ground almonds
8. Add black treacle and mix
9. Drain the soaked mixed fruits and add to cake mixture little at a time
10. I add extra brandy at baking but this is optional
11. Mix well until fully incooperated
12. Transfer cake mixture and smooth the top
13. Bake your fruit cake for 2 hours
14. After baking drizzle with more brandy while warm
15. Once fruit cake is completely cool poke some holes with a stick and drizzle more. Brandy or rum and wrap cake in cling flim or foil.

 

Treating the fruit cake after baking

Fruit cakes taste better when they have matured. Best way os doing this is soaking your fruit cakes with alcohol. I open my fruit cakes each week and drizzle the fruit cakes with brandy or rum. Then seal the cake in cling film and foil. Store your fruit cakes in a cool dry place. Fruit cakes can also be frozen but I will advise you to freeze the after a 4 week of treating.

 

That’s it. Go on and start baking.