Christmas Fruitcake Recipe
November 21, 2006 at 12:36 PM
by Ashleigh
The final version with my notes at the bottom.
Christmas Fruitcake Recipe
450g mixed raisins and sultanas
50g finely chopped candied peel
100g dried cranberries
200g coarsely chopped Medjool dates
50g maraschino cherries (red and green)
100 ml cognac
100 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
150 ml sweet sherry
15 ml bicarbonate of soda
5 ml mixed spice
200g unsalted butter
150g roasted almonds
200g dark brown sugar
4 medium eggs
125g plain flour
- Soak the fruit overnight or for a couple of days in the fridge with the cognac and orange juice.
- Preheat the oven to 150C. Grease a 20cm (8 inch round tin and line the bottom and sides with oiled baking paper. Note: if your tin is bigger than 20 cm your cooking time will be shortened! See notes below!
- Make a collar of brown paper for the outside of the pan using a double layer of brown paper and tie it in place with string.
- Tip the soaked fruit into a heavy based saucepan, add the butter, the 200ml of sweet sherry, half a tablespoon of the bicarbonate of soda and the mixed spice to the mixture and simmer for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool.
- Beat the eggs until frothy in a large mixing bowl.
- Using the food processor process the almonds until coarsely chopped.
- Sift the flour and remaining bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl and add the almonds to the mixture.
- Add the cooled fruit and the beaten eggs to the flour and nut mixture and mix evenly.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
- Bake for 3 and a half hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin and then remove it from the tin.
- Using a skewer lightly poke the surface and sprinkle the cake with brandy.
- Wrap firmly in greaseproof paper and then wrap in foil and keep in a cool dark place until ready to decorate.
- You can feed the cake every week with a few teaspoonfuls of brandy or sherry.
My cake came out beautifully. Very dark, very moist and chocolatey! The cranberries released a lot of their colour into the mixture during the soaking. The quantities of alcohol seem quite steep (and increased from my original recipe), but with the soaking I found that the first batch of cognac and orange juice was completely absorbed, leaving none for the boiling.
I left my boiled fruit to cool for quite a while, I think around 4 or 6 hours. If it's hot when you add the egg you'll end up with scrambled eggs.
I baked my cake for 3 and a half hours, but I started checking after 2 and a half hours. For your oven 3 hours might be sufficient. Use an accurate oven thermometer. Cover the cake with foil halfway if it seems to be browning too much. Burnt fruitcake tastes yuck.
I used this adjustable cake ring to make my cake. Look here for more Gefu products, like spritz cookie forms, stollen cake tins, potato ricers etc.
Photo will follow when we eat the cake.
Comments
Hi Kim! :) I don't often use the brandy or sherry on the cake after cooking because I don't like the flavour, but I do use it before - like you say it burns off.
You wouldn't have to put anything over the cake afterward, but it does make it a little more moist. I wouldn't use a juice because it might encourage mould??
Even essences have alcohol in them, otherwise I would suggest something like a vanilla essence, or rum essence.
I think I'd wrap it up good and tight and then keep it in a closed tin - that would stop any moisture from escaping.
Maybe someone else has some good ideas?
Thanks for stopping by!
Ash
Hey Ash, how are you doing?
I think I'm going to give this recipe a try - add something special to Christmas. :)
Hi Ash!
Your fruticake recipe sounds yummy and I'm thinking of trying it for next year but I wanted to know if, once the cake is baked, if you have to put the brandy or sherry on it. I can cook with alcohol because it burns off but I can't can't use that in a recipe becaue some family members are members of AA.
Please let me know what I can use in place of the brandy or sherry...maybe a juice or something.
Thanks,
Kim
November 21, 2006 2:46 PM