Christmas Fruit Cake
2018-11-27- Cuisine: Christmas
- Course: Desserts
- Skill Level: Intermediate
Recipe Info
- Servings : 6
- Cook Time : 3:00 h
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a fruit cake!
Ingredients
- 220g sultanas
- 175g currants
- 230g raisins, chopped
- 150g prunes, pitted and chopped
- 190g glacé red cherries, chopped
- 230ml brandy, 2 tablespoons extra
- 180g butter, softened
- 200g brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tsps vanilla essence
- 3 eggs
- 100g pecans, chopped
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped
- finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
- 160g plain flour
- 60g self-raising flour
- 2 tsps mixed spice
- 2 tsps ground cinnamon
- 2 tsps ground nutmeg
Method
Step 1
Add the fruit and brandy to a large bowl and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand overnight.
Step 2
Butter a deep 20cm round cake tin and line with two layers of baking paper (use a little butter between layers to help keep them stuck together). Preheat oven to 160°C.
Step 3
In an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each egg.
Step 4
Stir the fruit mixture, pecans, chocolate, orange rind and juice. Sift the flours and spices over the fruit mixture and stir until well combined.
Step 5
Spoon the cake mix into the tin and smooth the top.
Step 6
Bake for 21/2 - 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Step 7
Leave cake in the tin, drizzle with extra brandy and wrap in a clean tea towel to cool slowly overnight.
Step 8
Remove from tin, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminium foil and store in an airtight container. When ready to serve, sprinkle over some icing sugar.