Traditional Christmas Cake | Fruit Cake
A fruit cake soaked in rum or brandy, combining rich, spiced fruits with the deep, warming flavors. The alcohol enhances the cake's moist texture and allows the flavors to mature, making it a perfect festive dessert enjoyed by many during the holiday season.
Equipment
- 1 Round Springform Cake Pan
Ingredients
Dried Fruits ( for soaking in Rum or Brandy)
- 90 g Dates pitted, roughly chopped
- 110 g Raisins
- 70 g Dried Plums/ Black currant
Cake Mix
- 100 ml Brandy / Rum
- 200 g Butter soft unsalted plus extra for greasing the pan
- 200 g Dark Brown Sugar fine
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 Lemon Zest
- 225 g All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Cloves powder
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Nutmeg powder
- 4 Eggs Large at room temperature
- pinch of salt
Dried Nuts
- 75 g Cashew nuts
- 20 g Almonds slivered
Instructions
Prepare the Dried Fruits
- Chop the dried fruits and soak them in a mixing bowl with brandy or rum and cover with cling film.
- Leave it for 24 hours or a week, stirring occasionally in a cool place.
Prepare the Nuts
- Add 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour to the cashew nuts and almonds, mix together. This in done so that they do not sink to the bottom of the cake. Reserve for later. Prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Grease and line a 20cm (8″) cake tin base with a circular cut parchment paper and also the greased circumference with a layer of baking parchment paper. Make sure the paper is few inches above the level of tin.
Cream Butter ad Sugar
- In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the honey, vanilla extract, zest of one lemon and mix well.
Mix Dry Ingredients
- Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
Combine Eggs
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Preheat Oven
- Preheat your oven top -Bottom heat to 140°C (275°F/Gas mark 1) . Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
Combine Fruits and Nuts
- Stir in the soaked dried fruits and then the chopped nuts.
Bake
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Soak with Rum:
- Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool. Then, remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack. Brush it generously with more rum or brandy.
Wrap and Rest:
- Once the cake has cooled completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld. For an even richer flavor, you can feed it with rum every few days.
Notes
- For an extra moist fruit cake, you can soak it in rum for several weeks before serving.
- Use high-quality rum for the best flavor.