Old fashioned fruit cake
This old fashioned fruit cake is my great-grandmother's recipe. Made without marzipan its a simple and deliocus Christmas cake the whole family will love.
Equipment
- 1 x 8 inch cake tin
Ingredients
- Extra Butter or margarine to grease the cake tin
- 2 and ⅓ cups (12 oz /340gms) Dried fruit mix
- ½ cup (70gms) Chopped dates
- ⅓ cup (65gms) Dried apricots
- ½ cup (125mls) Orange juice
- 2 sticks plus one table spoon (250gms) Butter or margarine
- ¾ cup (165gms) Tightly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon (15mls) Brandy
- 3 large Eggs
- 2 cups (300gms) Self raising flour
- 1 cup (110 gms) Whole blanched almonds
Decorations
- 1 shot (30mls) Brandy
- ½ tablespoon (7.5mls) Brandy
- 2 tablespoons Apricot jam
Instructions
- Chop apricots and dates into small pieces.
- Combine dried fruit, dates, apricots, brown sugar, orange juice, butter, mixed spice, cinnamon and ginger to a large saucepan.
- Stir over a low head until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
- Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, cover and allow to cool completely, about two to three hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 335°F (170°C) (fan forced).
- Heavily grease and line an 8 inch square or round cake tin with butter or margarine, then line with foil, then baking paper, allowing plenty of overhang.
- Lightly beat eggs.
- Add eggs, self raising flour and brandy if using to cold boiled fruit mix and mix well.
- Pour cake mix into prepared cake tin. Decorate with blanched almonds in a pretty circlar pattern.
- Bake in the oven for one hour. The cake will be cooked when its starting to go a lovely golden brown color on top and a skewer will come out clean when inserted.
- Pour one shot of brandy over the cake while it is still warm.
- Mix half a tablespoon of brandy with the apricot jam and brush over cake while still warm.
- Allow to cool completely and you're done! To serve remove from the tin and add a pretty festive ribbon. Or check the recipe notes below for tips on storing this cake if making it in advance of Christmas day or your festive event.
Notes
Ingredients:
Brandy: is optional, but adds flavor and helps preserve the cake. You can leave it out if you prefer.
Orange juice: you can juice some oranges for the orange juice if you don't want to buy a whole bottle just for this recipe.
Apricots and dates: add extra flavor, but you can replace these with extra dried mixed fruit to simplify the recipe.
Blanched almonds: it's much simpler to buy them blanched (i.e. without the skins) but they are more expensive than almonds with the skins on.
You can blanch your own by adding the almonds to boiling water for one minute, drain and rinse with cold water, then gently squeeze each almond to remove the skin. It will take some time but it is cheaper.
Decoration:
This boiled fruit cake is decorated with simple almonds and lovely shinney glaze. You could ice this cake with marzipan and/or fondant if you prefer.
Storage:
To store the whole cake: leave it in the baking paper and foil it was baked in. Add an extra layer of baking paper to the top, and wrap the whole thing in extra foil, pressing down firming to ensure the cake is well wrapped. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a month.
No need to 'feed' the cake with alcohol, but you can if you want to.
To store the cut cake: in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Nutrition
Calories: 648kcalCarbohydrates: 92gProtein: 13gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 155mgPotassium: 692mgFiber: 9gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 814IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 163mgIron: 3mg
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.
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