Preparation Time: 30 minutes + marinating fruit overnight or up to 1 month
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Serves: 22cm square cake tin
| Ingredients | Preparation |
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Cake 375g mixed fruit 250g sultanas 250g currants 90g glace apricots or peaches 90g glace pineapple 125g glace cherries 125g glace ginger 60g mixed peel 125ml brandy 125ml rum 250g butter 125g brown sugar 125g caster sugar 4 eggs 2 tbsp orange marmalade 125g slivered almonds 60g almond meal 250g plain flour 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp nutmeg 1⁄2 tsp ground cloves 1 large green apple, peeled and grated Cake topping 80g blanched whole almonds 80g glace red cherries, halved, optional 60ml brandy, extra 60ml rum, extra |
Fruit cake 1. Place all of the fruit, brandy and rum in a large glass bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to soak overnight or for up to 1 month in a cool dark place, stir every few days. 2. Grease a 22cm square cake tin and line with one layer of brown paper and one layer of baking paper, ensuring the paper extends 5cm above the top of the tin. Preheat oven on Hot air 140°C or Hot air 140°C + 30% Humidity. 3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the marmalade and eggs one at a time. Stir through the almonds and almond meal. 4. Add all of the remaining ingredients and ensure the mixture is well combined. 5. Spoon a quarter of the mixture into the prepared cake tin and ensure that it is pressed into the corners and edges of the tin. Add the remaining mixture and press the mixture to evenly fill the tin. Use a dampened hand to smooth the top of the cake. 6. Decorate the top of the cake with the blanched almonds and cherries. Cook the cake for 3 to 31⁄2 hours or until cake is cooked when tested with a cake skewer. 7. Remove the cake from the oven and skewer the cake all over. To finish 1. Pour over extra brandy and rum. Cover the top of the cake with a piece of paper, then wrap the cake in the tin with a large towel and allow to cool overnight, wrapped. 2. The next day, wrap the cake in plastic wrap or store in an air-tight container. |
