Rich Fruit Christmas 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!).

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine cherries, citrus peel, raisins, currants, dates, and almonds. Stir in brandy; let stand 2 hours, or overnight. Dredge soaked fruit with 1/2 cup flour.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Grease an 8x8x3 inch fruit cake pan, line with parchment paper, and grease again. In a small bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, baking soda, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter until light. Gradually blend in brown sugar and eggs. Mix together molasses and apple juice. Beat into butter mixture alternately with flour mixture, making 4 dry and 3 liquid additions. Fold in floured fruit. Turn batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Remove from pan, and lift off paper. Cool cake completely, then wrap loosely in waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

RICH FRUIT CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the dried fruits, glace cherries, and orange zest. Pour over the Brandy and orange juice and mix well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Stirring occasionally. Allowing all the fruits to soak up the brandy and orange juice.
• THE NEXT DAY
• Preheat the oven to 170c deg Fan assisted oven
• Grease and line 1 x 8 inch/20cm round deep-sided loose bottom cake tin with baking parchment. Line the outside of the tin with a folded sheet of brown paper. Tied with string. This will help prevent the edges of the cake from baking too dry and possibly burning.
• In a large separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and mixed spice. Using your finger tips rub in the butter until you have a breadcrumb consistency.
• Add the sugar and ground almonds. Using your hands or a wooden spoon. Mix until well combined. Break up any remaining clumps of sugar and butter.
• Add the soaked fruit, eggs and treacle and gently mix together until everything is well combined. This part can be done a lot easier and quicker when using a good electric mixer with a large bowl.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin making sure the top is level and smooth. Bake in the oven for 1hr 20mins. Then turn the temperature down to 160c Fan and bake for a further 55 - 60 mins or until the cake is fully baked. Testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean. To help prevent the top of the cake from over baking, you can place a sheet of baking parchment across the top and over the cake.
• If the skewer still has uncooked mixture left on it, continue baking at the same temperature. Testing again every 10 mins until the skewer comes out clean.
• Leave in the tin to cool completely.
• Take out of the tin and leave the inner lining on the cake. Feed the cake with a couple of tablespoons of Brandy.
• Wrap in more baking parchment and feed every other day for a few weeks. Leave wrapped and in an airtight container until required.

RICH FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Place the currants, sultanas and raisins in a bowl. Heat the wine or sherry until it just starts to bubble around the edge of the pan, then pour over the fruit. Cover and allow to stand overnight.
• Grease and line a 23cm round or a 20cm square deep cake tin. Preheat the oven to 160°C/150°fan/gas mark 3.
• Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy Make sure you beat out any lumps in the sugar. Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well after each addition. Next beat in the treacle.
• Sift the flour and mixed spice into the bowl and fold in.
• Add the soaked fruit, almonds, cherries, peel and lemon or orange zest and mix well.
• Spoon into the prepared tin and level the top, then make a slight dip in the middle.
• Bake for 1 hour, then reduce the oven temperature to 140°C/130°C fan/gas mark 1 and cook for a further 1-2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

RICH BRANDY CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• The night before you cook this place all the fruit fruit peel and nuts into a bowl and soak for 12 hours in the brandy and orange juice; Stir every time you go into the kitchen!
• pre-heat oven to 275ºF/140ºC.
• Grease and line with greaseproof paper an 8 inch/20cm round cake tin.
• Sift the flour salt and spices into a large mixing bowl.
• In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar together until the mixtures fluffy.
• Beat the eggs and add them a little at a time.
• Fold in the flour and spices.
• Stir in the fruit that has been soaking along with any excess liquid.
• Mix in the treacle.
• Spoon into the cake tin and spread out evenly.
• Cover the cake with a double square of greaseproof paper with a small hole in the top.
• Bake the cake on the lower shelf for 4& 1/4- 3/4 hours.
• When the cake is cold wrap in double greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin.
• Feed the cake every two days for the first 2 weeks with a spoonful of brandy and/or orange juice and/or glacè cherry syrup.
• First poke little holes in the cake with a knitting needle or a skewer.
• Come Christmas you will have a very very rich fruit cake.
• Use royal icing to ice it or almond paste and royal icing, I don't like almond paste!

EXTRA-FRUITY CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put all the dried fruit, the mixed peel and citrus zests in a large bowl, the pour over the brandy. Stir, cover and leave to soak overnight.
• The next day, heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line the base and side of a deep 23cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, so it comes a few centimetres above the rim.
• Beat the butter, sugar and treacle together in a large bowl using an electric whisk, until pale and creamy. Alternatively, use a stand mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into a separate bowl, then stir this into the wet ingredients along with the ground almonds until combined.
• Stir in the rehydrated fruit along with the soaking liquid, then spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 2 hrs 25 mins-2 hrs 30 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.If the cake starts to darken too quickly, cover with foil.
• Leave to cool completely in the tin, then prick small holes all over the surface using a cocktail stick or skewer and brush over a little brandy. Wrap the cake in baking parchment, then a sheet of foil. Store in an airtight container and feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp brandy each week for three or four weeks, stopping the week before you want to ice it. Will keep in a cool, dry place for six months.

MAKE & MATURE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put 1kg mixed dried fruit, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 150ml brandy or other alcohol, 250g softened butter and 200g light, soft brown sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat.
• Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside - tie with string to secure.
• Add 175g plain flour, 100g ground almonds, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 100g flaked almonds, 4 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
• Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.
• Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
• To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in cling film. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it.
• Don't feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.

SUPER MOIST FRUIT CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Step 1.Boil the dry fruits In a medium saucepan, combine the butter with the raisins, cranberries, brown sugar,molasses and water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let stand for 45 minutes or until it is cool.Step 2.Add all the rest of ingredientsAdd the eggs (lightly beaten) and vanilla extract(optional) and the nuts.Add in the flour mix which is Flour+Baking powder+Salt+Ground spices+Zest of orange and lemon.I didn't add the spices and the zest of lemon and orange into the boil mix because we need to preserve the fresh smell of those spices and that of lemon and orange.The taste of a fruit cake is mostly the aroma of that cake :)Mix everything together, just until everything is well incorporated.Step 3.Bake the fruit cakeTransfer the batter into the prepared pan.7 inch pan / 8 inch pan will work. Bake in the center of the oven @ 320F for about 75-90 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Large baking tray (8 inch) will take slightly less baking time. Let the cake cool completely.Unmold the cake and transfer to a serving platter. This fruit cake is best to serve the next day.The flavor and texture of cake improves a lot with that time.The cake may seem buttery and crumbly and less flavorful if we cut it immediately it is cooled.

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• The day before you intend to bake the cake, measure out the brandy and port, into a large saucepan. Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, dried fruits, mixed peel, nuts and zest's. Now stir and bring the mixture up to simmering point, then, keeping the heat low, simmer very gently for 10 minutes. After that allow everything to cool then pour the mixture into an airtight plastic container and leave it in a cool place overnight. Remember to take the butter out of the fridge so it will soften. When you are ready to bake the cake, pre-heat the oven to 140°C, gas mark 1. All you do is measure out the flour, sugar and softened butter into a very large mixing bowl then add the eggs and with an electric whisk, beat until everything is evenly blended. (Use a wooden spoon if you don't have an electric whisk). Now use a large metal spoon to gradually fold in the fruit mixture until it's all evenly distributed. Then spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, levelling the surface with the back of the spoon. Finally cover the top of the cake with a double square of parchment paper with a 50p-size hole in the centre (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking). Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 4 hours until it feels springy in the centre when lightly touched. Cool the cake for 45 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's completely cold, wrap in double greaseproof paper and then foil and store in an airtight tin or polythene box. This cake eats very well as it is but if your want to use some of the brandy from your storecupboard, you can 'feed' it by making small holes in the top and bottom with a cocktail stick and spoon in a couple of tablespoons of brandy then it wrap it in double baking parchment and foil or store in an airtight tin. You can now 'feed' it at weekly intervals until you eat it as it is or ice it.