Fruit cake - recipe
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Prepare
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Serves
16 -
Cook
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Skill
Medium
Ingredients
- 175 g Dried apricots
- 6 tbsp Brandy or whisky
- 225 g Butter (unsalted)
- 1 Lemon juice from 1 lemon
- 1 Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1 Orange juice from 1 orange
- 1 Orange zest from 1 orange
- 225 g Unrefined golden caster sugar
- 50 g Almonds (ground)
- 4 Egg(s) (free range)
- 225 g Plain white flour
- 1 Salt
- 175 g Glace cherries
- 110 g Stem ginger finely chopped
- 110 g Glace pineapple coarsely choped
- 110 g Candied peel coarsely chopped
- 50 g Candied mango
- 110 g Walnuts roughly chopped
For the decoration (optional)
- 450 g Unrefined golden icing sugar
- 2 Egg white(s) (free range)
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
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1
Preheat the oven to (150°C 300°F, gas mark 2). Butter a 23cm (9 in) round cake tin and line with a double thickness of buttered greaseproof paper or non-stick baking parchment.
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2
Soak the apricots in the whisky or brandy for at least 4 hours or overnight.
For this step you'll need:
- 175g Dried apricots
- 6 tbsp Brandy or whisky
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3
Cream the butter and sugar with the lemon and orange zest until light and fluffy, then stir in the almonds.
For this step you'll need:
- 225g Butter (unsalted)
- 225g Unrefined golden caster sugar
- 1 Orange zest from 1 orange
- 1 Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 50g Almonds (ground)
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4
Whisk the eggs until pale and thick, then gradually whisk into the creamed mixture until well mixed.
For this step you'll need:
- 4 Egg(s) (free range)
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5
Sift the flour and salt into the bowl and gently fold into the mixture with a metal spoon.
For this step you'll need:
- 225g Plain white flour
- 1 Salt
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6
Stir in the orange and lemon juices, soaked apricots, the candied fruits, ginger and the walnuts. Spoon into the prepared tin and make a slight hollow in the centre.
For this step you'll need:
- 1 Orange juice from 1 orange
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 175g Glace cherries
- 110g Stem ginger finely chopped
- 110g Glace pineapple coarsely choped
- 110g Candied peel coarsely chopped
- 50g Candied mango
- 110g Walnuts roughly chopped
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7
Bake just below the centre of the oven for 2½ hours, then cover the cake loosely with foil and reduce the heat to 140°C (275°F, gas mark 1) and bake for another 1½-2 hours until cooked through – test with a skewer, which should come out clean.
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8
Cool the cake in the tin, then turn out and wrap in greaseproof paper and foil and store in a cool but not cold place for up to three weeks.
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9
To make the icing for the decoration, whisk the egg whites until frothy and gradually stir in about 2/3 of the golden icing sugar, beating well.
For this step you'll need:
- 2 Egg white(s) (free range)
- 300g Unrefined golden icing sugar
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10
Beat in the lemon juice and the rest of the icing sugar until the icing is thick and forms soft peaks.
For this step you'll need:
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 150g Unrefined golden icing sugar
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11
Spoon onto the cold cake and spread roughly over the cake with a palette knife.