My Spiced Fruit Cake‘s heavily adapted from the recipe by Lizzie Kamenetzky of delicious.uk magazine. This recipe is ideal for people who prefer a lighter Christmas or fruit cake. It’s quick and there’s no need to wait as no “feeding booze” time’s required. 🙂

My adaptations:

  • replaced whisky with golden rum
  • replaced blanched almonds with dried cranberries
  • totally omitted almonds
  • increased amount of dried cranberries and reduced amount of candied peel
  • usaed 3 mini cake tins instead of a 23cm round cake tin

Ingredients:

  • 250g raisins
  • 175g golden sultanas
  • 150g dried cranberries
  • 50g candied peel, finely chopped
  • 50g glacé cherries, halved
  • 200ml golden rum
  • grated zest of 2 oranges
  • 200g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
  • 180g soft light brown sugar (I used 150g)
  • 4 large free-range eggs
  • 275g self-raising flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground mixed spice (Please see recipe to make your own)
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • Splash of milk (optional)
  • some sliced almonds – optional, for decoration (I omitted this)
  • Apricot jam to glaze

timetable

recipe

    Serves 12-14
    Prep time 15 mins
    Cook time 45 mins
    + cooling
    Total time 60 mins
60mins
total time

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C/fan140°C.
  2. Put dried fruits, peel, glacé cherries, rum and zest in a pan.  Warm through for a few minutes, then set aside to cool.  (I soaked them in rum overnite, therefore omitted this step.)
  3. Grease 3 16cm cake tin (or grease and line a 23cm cake tin).
  4. Beat butter with a hand whisk, or in a food processor, till soft.
  5. Add sugar and beat till pale and fluffy.
  6. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  7. In a clean bowl, sift flour and baking powder with spices, then fold into butter mixture.
  8. Add soaked fruit. If mixture’s a little thick, add a bit of milk till dough reaches a dropping consistency.
  9. Spoon mixture into tins, smooth top (then decorate with almonds, if using).
  10. Bake for 45 mins (or 1-1½ hours if using 23cm tin) till a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
  11. Allow to cool in tins before turning out.
  12. Melt a good dollop of apricot jam with a splash of boiling water and brush over the cake for a glossy finish.
  13. I left the other 2 small cakes as they are – unglazed; wrapped it with baking parchment/paper, then with foil and in a freezer bag for another time.. 🙂

Have a slice of cake with a glass of mulled wine or a cup of tea or coffee, if you like.

The cake’s yummy; sweet, spiced, boozy and rich.. It tastes even better after a day..  🙂

 

 



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