Fruit And Stout Cake Recipes

CHRISTMAS CAKE - EASY MOIST FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Place dried fruit and juice/brandy in a large microwavable container. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes on high or until hot.
• Stir to coat all fruit in liquid. Cover then set aside for 1 hour (to plump up/soak and cool).
• Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 21 - 22 cm / 8 - 9" round cake pan with baking paper (parchment paper) (7 cm / 2.75" tall).
• Using an electric beater, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute on speed 5).
• Add oil and molasses, beat until combined.
• Add salt, spices and baking powder - beat until incorporated.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated
• Stir in the flour.
• When mostly incorporated, stir in the fruit mix (including all the extra liquid in bowl) and walnuts (if using).
• Pour into cake pan, cover with foil and bake for 3 hours 15 minutes, removing foil the last 45 minutes. Skewer inserted into middle should come out clean with no batter on it.
• Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.
• Cake is moist and so full flavoured, it can be eaten plain. But see below for decorating and serving ideas (traditionally served with pouring custard).
• Cutting: Either cut into thin wedges, or cut cake into thin strips (2cm / 0.75" or so), then cut those strips into serving size pieces.
• Traditional White Christmas Cake (pictured in post) - Marzipan and fondant, see Decorating Note.
• Simple - pile top with fresh cherries or other fruit, dust with icing sugar (powdered sugar). Wrap a ribbon around the cake for extra touch!
• Drippy white glaze - use the glaze in this Lemon Cake recipe, but leave out the lemon juice (ie make a plain sweet white glaze). Flip cake upside down for flat surface then glaze per that recipe.
• Serving - serve with custard for a traditional experience! Either homemade custard or store bought pouring custard (jazz it up by mixing in vanilla seed paste!).

FRUIT AND STOUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Brush a 9-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with butter. Line pan with parchment; brush with butter. Set aside.
• Combine the prunes, raisins, and currants in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup stout, and let stand.
• Sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, scraping down sides twice. Add dry ingredients in two additions; mix just to combine. Fold in fruit mixture.
• Pour batter into pan. Bake until dark brown and set and a cake tester inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean, about 3 1/2 hours. (Cracks will appear on top of cake.) Remove from oven; sprinkle with 1/2 cup stout. Let stand on wire rack 30 minutes. Remove from pan; discard parchment; let cool completely.
• Wrap in cheesecloth or muslin. Douse fruitcake with remaining 1/4 cup stout. Store in a cool, dark, dry place, dousing with 1/4 cup stout once a week for at least 1 month before serving.

STOUT FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• 1 Place spread, mixed fruit, prunes, cherries, stevia and ⅔ cup (160ml) water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until spread is melted. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to allow fruit to absorb some of the liquid. Remove from heat. Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 150°C. Line a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base measurement) square cake tin with 3 layers of baking paper.
• Stir eggs into cooled fruit mixture. Stir in sifted flour, mixed spice, cocoa and stout until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared tin. Smooth top. Bake for 2 hours or until a small knife inserted into cake comes out clean.
• While still warm, wrap cake tin in foil and a clean tea towel. Place a wooden board on top of cake and turn upside down to cool completely in tin. Remove cake from pan and serve dusted with icing sugar.

RICH DARK FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Wash and dry the raisins and the currants. Wash, dry, pit, and chop the dates. Chop the raisins and the citrus peel. Slice the cherries. Blanch the almonds, and slice them lengthwise. Combine fruits and nuts in large bowl.
• Grease and line 3 standard Christmas cake pans (these round pans are at least 3 inches deep and come in a set of three sizes- 5, 7, and 9 inch across) with 4 layers of heavy waxed paper, or 3 layers of brown paper. Grease again. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices onto a piece of waxed paper. Remove 1 cup of this flour mixture, and combine with fruit and nuts. Mix until fruit is well coated.
• Cream the butter until fluffy. Add extracts. Gradually add sugar, mixing until creamy. Beat egg yolks until light and lemon-colored, and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the molasses, and beat together well. Add half of the remaining flour mixture, and blend thoroughly.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into batter. Stir in lightly the remaining flour mixture alternately with grape juice and coffee. Add floured fruit and nuts, blending in until fruit is well distributed.
• Turn batter into prepared cake tins, filling each about 2/3 full and spreading batter evenly. Bake in center of oven. Bake small cake 2 1/2 hours, medium cake 3 1/2 hours, and large cake 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to cool.

DARK FRUIT CAKE (PRIZEWINNER)

Steps:

• 1. Be sure and have all ingredients at room temperature -- 70 F or above. Preheat oven to 225 F
• 2. Prepare one-piece tube pan (10x4): Cut heavy brown paper bottom (trace bottom of pan) and one 4" wide strip to go around the inside of the pan (slit the top every half inch or so, to conform to shape of pan), and another 5" wide to go around the tube.
• 3. Grease the pan, place the paper liners inside, then grease the paper (or can grease the paper before putting into pan -- greased side next to cake, not the pan.) The grease on the pan, holds the paper, the grease on the paper is for the cake.)
• 4. For decorating the cake put aside a few pieces of the prettier pieces of fruit, plus about ten nut halves, and ten cherry halves.
• 5. Place all of the fruit in a large mixing bowl or baking pan. Separate the seeded raisins into small pieces and mix thoroughly with the fruit.
• 6. Sift 1/2 cup of the prepared flour over fruit and mix well, also stir in the cake spice.
• 7. Now cream butter and sugar for 15 minutes (watch the clock) then pour over the fruit and blend.
• 8. Beat the eggs one minute on high and stir well into fruit. Add the black molasses and stir in well.
• 9. Separate remaining flour into 3 parts and blend each part into the fruit mixture individually and fully before adding next part. Pour the wine over the top of the mixture and blend that in, too.
• 10. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the batter with the back of a spoon, then position your fruit and nut decorations on top.
• 11. Place in preheated oven at 225 F and bake for four hours, until checker comes out clean. Don't start checking the cake until 3.5 hours have passed.
• 12. When done, set aside in a cool place and let it sit for 15 minutes. Turn upside down on platter, remove paper, then invert onto cooling rack so it is now right side up. Let it sit until completely cooled.
• 13. After it is completely cooled, wrap it in aluminum foil and place in a cake box (or: wrap in four double sheets of newspaper and tape it shut)
• 14. Let it rest for two weeks or more in cool place before cutting. do not freeze until at least three weeks have gone by. (Write the "date made" on the Newspaper so you can keep track of time.)
• 15. NOTE 1: I have no idea what he means by "(or seedless) (follow directions on seedless)" for the raisins -- there is no other unusual mention of the raisins in his directions -- but, frankly, I would not be too fussy about it. This, to me, is a "whatever."
• 16. NOTE 2: I would probably just make the cake batter, then add the floured fruit, too... but that is just me. I hate all the tedium -- LOL -- I figure it is a cake, not the Taj Mahal! -- but you do what you think is best.
• 17. NOTE 3: I also searched the Sauer's web site and they do not have a "cake spice" which is why I have made the assumption that "all spice" is what is meant. It may be that they used to have a spice with that name, but they no longer do. You, can, of course, choose any spice you like. AND more than a box of spice seems like an awful lot -- I consulted with Becky and she says it is a 7 pound cake so should be correct.

PORTER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas2. Butter and line the base of a deep 20 cm round cake tin. Put the butter, dried fruit, orange zest and juice, sugar and porter in a large pan. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the boil, stirring until the butter has dissolved, then simmer for 15 mins.
• Cool for 10 mins, then stir in the bicarbonate of soda. The mixture will foam up, but don't worry, this is normal.
• Stir the eggs into the pan, then sift in the flour and spice, then mix well. Pour into the prepared tin, smooth the top with the back of a spoon and sprinkle with the flaked almonds and Demerara sugar. Bake for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hrs. cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.