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Traditional Dark and Rich Christmas Cake

Yields1 ServingCook Time2 hrs

A rich, old-fashioned English style fruitcake loaded with warming spice and booze; Make Ahead Christmas Cake.

fruit cake

 1 kg mixed dried fruit (mix of cranberries, prunes, raisins, figs, currants, cherries, or sultanas)s)
 1 orange, juice and zest
 1 lemon, juice and zest
 250 g butter, softened
 200 g brown sugar
 170 g plain flour
 100 g almond, ground
 ½ tsp baking powder
 2 tsp mixed spice
 ¼ tsp ¼ tsp ground cloves
 1 tsp ground cinnamon
 100 g flaked almonds
 4 eggs
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 ½ cup black tea
1

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and Put mixed dried fruit, the zest, and juice of orange and lemon, coffee, and brown sugar set over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

2

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30-45 minutes. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.

3

Preheat oven to 150C. Line a 20 cm deep cake pan with a double layer of baking parchment, then loop a double layer of newspaper around the outside, to protect the tie with string.

4

To the fruit mixture, add ground almonds, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, flaked almonds, eggs, and vanilla extract.

5

Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking powder. Fold in the flour mixture to the fruit mixture, making sure there are no pockets of flour.

6

Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Using a spatula, level the top. The top can be decorated with extra halves almonds, cherries, etc.

7

Bake for 2 hrs in the center of the oven. When baked the center, the cake should feel firm to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean

8

Take the cake from the oven and leave the cake on a wire rack to cool entirely in the tin before removing it.

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9

Now with a skewer or a fork, you can poke holes in the top and bottom of the cake and pour tea of your choice, half on top, wait ten minutes, then turn it over and pour the rest of the half on the bottom.

10

Peel off the baking parchment to store, then cover well in cling film. Feed the cake every fortnight with 1-2 tablespoons of tea or fruit juice, before you frost it up. For the final week, do not feed the cake and allow the surface a chance to dry before it is iced.

Nutrition Facts

0 servings

Serving size

Amount per serving
Calories687
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 29g38%

Saturated Fat 12g60%
Total Carbohydrate 88g32%

Dietary Fiber 3g11%
Total Sugars 79g
Protein 9g

* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.