CakesMake aheadFruity bakesFruitBakingMother's Day
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
531Kcal
Fat
17gr
Saturates
10gr
Carbs
84gr
Sugars
65gr
Protein
6gr
Salt
0.5gr
Nancy Birtwhistle
Nancy Birtwhistle won the fifth series of the The Great British Bake Off. Now a grandmother of eight, Nancy's first recollection of baking was making Christmas treats with her own grandmother.
Nancy Birtwhistle won the fifth series of the The Great British Bake Off. Now a grandmother of eight, Nancy's first recollection of baking was making Christmas treats with her own grandmother.
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Ingredients
1kg mixed dried fruit
100g glacé cherries, washed, dried and cut into thirds
4 tbsp Cointreau, brandy, sherry or juice from the orange (after zesting)
250g soft salted butter, plus extra for greasing
250g dark brown soft sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup or black treacle
5 medium eggs, beaten
250g plain flour
1 tsp ground mace (or nutmeg)
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
finely grated zest of 1 orange
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
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Get ahead
This fruit cake will keep for at least 3 months wrapped in a double layer of baking paper and foil, stored in an airtight container
First thing in the morning, put the mixed fruit and cherries in a large bowl and add the Cointreau (or other liquid), stir and cover with clingfilm, then leave until the evening.
In the evening, grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm springform tin (unlike most fruit cakes, a single layer of lining paper is sufficient for this recipe, due to the low slow bake). Preheat the oven to 120°C, fan 100°C, gas ½.
Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until pale, light and fluffy. Add the syrup or treacle and continue to mix. Gradually incorporate the beaten eggs, a little at a time, along with a teaspoon of flour at each egg addition. This helps to prevent the mixture from curdling. When all the egg has been incorporated, gently fold in the rest of the flour, the spices and zests. Finally, fold in the soaked fruits.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 9-10 hours. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out without any sticky cake mixture on it.
Leave the cake to go completely cold before carefully removing from the tin
Make the cake in October and store in a tin until Christmas, then cover in marzipan and finish with royal icing. Alternatively, if you prefer a ‘naked’ cake, decorate the cake with 150g lightly toasted whole nuts. Gently heat 2 tbsp apricot jam and 2 tbsp brandy in a small pan and pass through a sieve. Cool slightly, brush on top of the cake and decorate with the nuts, then brush over more of the glaze.
RICH FRUIT LOAF
Make up half of the recipe (use 3 eggs) and divide between 2 x 450g lined loaf tins, then bake for 4-5 hours. These fruit loaves will keep well in a tin (although I often give one to a friend) and a slice is delicious with cheese. EACH LOAF SERVES 6-8 V
MINI CHRISTMAS CAKE GIFTS
Make a full quantity of the cake and bake in a lined 23cm square cake tin for 7-8 hours (the mixture is slightly shallower in a square tin). Store until Christmas, then cut into 9 squares, brush with 200g warmed and sieved apricot jam and cover each one in marzipan (2 x 454g packs) and ready-to-roll icing (1 x 1kg pack). Decorate with stars cut out of the icing (stick them on with a little cooled boiled water brushed on the underside) and tie a wide ribbon around the sides (you’ll need 3m in total).
MAKES 9 V
Chef quote
‘This is so easy to make, you’ll never buy a fruit cake again. I bake it “low and slow” so the finished cake is really moist. You don’t even need to “feed” it with alcohol, although feel free to do so if you like that boozy hit!’
Some fruitcakes are dark because of the types of fruits that are baked in them. Fruits like currants tend to be darker in color and can give fruitcakes their rich color. Fruitcakes that have alcohol baked into them can also become darker in color depending on the type of alcohol used during the baking process.
Fruitcake should be tightly wrapped and stored in a cool, dry place while aging. If you wrapped your cake in soaked cheesecloth, resoak the cloth once a week and age for six weeks to three months. Cakes simply wrapped in plastic wrap should be brushed with more alcohol every few days during the first two months.
A sharp serrated knife with a long blade is essential; a good SHARP bread knife is usually suitable. Ornamental knives used for the cake cutting ceremony are not sharp enough. USING A BLUNT KNIFE WILL MAKE THE CAKE CRUMBLE! You will need a clean, moist cloth to wipe the blade clean between cuts.
Like a fine wine, a well-made fruitcake can actually get more flavorful over time. Tannins ooze out of the dried fruit, chemically changing the cake's composition to produce a fruity and spicy taste.
Replace the oil with an equal amount of melted butter (and a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter), to boost richness. For an extra decadent cake, add two tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Cakes crumble because they've dried out too much. From years of baking, I know that dry cakes happen for one of two reasons; using too much of your dry ingredients or over-baking your cake.
Q: Why do cakes crack when baking? A: Oven too hot or cake placed too high in oven; the crust is formed too soon, the cake continues to rise, therefore the crust cracks.
Master the art of storage by tightly wrapping your fruitcake in parchment paper and foil. Store it in a cool, dark place, allowing the flavors to intensify. To expedite the process, consider placing the wrapped cake in the refrigerator for a day or two, mimicking the effects of extended aging.
The chemical composition of the cake makes it possible to keep it for a 100 years. Indeed, its density prevents bacteria and mold to proliferate and its alcohol content makes it more sanitized, which also has an impact on its conservation.
Some say you should make your Christmas cake 6 weeks before eating, but the advice given on Nigella.com is that 12 weeks before is the optimum time to get baking. Your Christmas cake should be fed every 4 to 6 weeks but in the meantime, after baking, it should be stored away in a secure, air tight container.
Dark fruitcake includes molasses and brown sugar, black fruits like currants, and dark liquors. Often meant to be eaten before they've aged, light cakes (like the one shown) are made with granulated sugar or light corn syrup, and golden and yellow fruits, with or without light liquors.
Strawberry cake, orange cake, Apple cake, Pineapple cake, Plum cake, cherry cake, Raspberry cake, Banana cake etc… the list can go on as almost every fruit can be made a cake with. Then there are fruit and nuts cakes. There are cakes which are plain vanilla but soaked with fruit juices.
Dark fruitcake is made with brown sugar and molasses, while white fruitcake is made with granulated or confectioners' sugar. This means it's lighter and sweeter than its darker, deeper counterpart.
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Prep time: 1 hr 
