Rich Fruit Cake Recipe

Follow these eight tips for a truly memorable cake:

1. Check your oven's accuracy with an oven thermometer before baking (see above).
2. Always soak the fruit overnight. This will plump it up, making the cake more moist.
3. All ingredients should be at room temperature, particularly the eggs.
4. Warm the bowl slightly before mixing.
5. Don't forget to double line with greaseproof paper.
6. Before baking, push any exposed fruit below the surface - otherwise it will burn.
7. To check to see if the cake is cooked, press the surface lightly to see if it's firm. Then, if it feels right, use a skewer to check if it's cooked inside.
8. If possible, bake well in advance. A good cake takes weeks to mature.

For Ingredients and quantities see chart below.

Use: Multisize cake tin, 10034.

Rich, dark and moist, this traditional cake cuts well without crumbling.

The cakes are scaled to vary in depth, from 2½in (6.5cm) for smaller cakes, up to 4in (10cm) for larger cakes. This gives a tiered wedding cake a balanced look. See chart below for ingredients.

1.  Prepare a cool oven 300F, 150C or Gas 2.

2. Grease and double-line cake tins with greaseproof paper. Draw around base of tin and cut out 2 squares; measure sides of tin and cut greaseproof paper to fit sides (avoid joins, as these could spoil the shape of cake). Cut the strip 2in (5cm) higher than the depth of the cake tin; fold down 1in (2.5cm) along the strip and snip at intervals up to the fold. Brush tin with oil and place strip in tin, the folded paper at the bottom. Press paper to sides of tin; fit squares of paper in base; brush again with oil.

3. Halve, wash and dry the cherries and place in a large bowl. Weigh and add the flour, currants, sultanas, raisins, mixed peel, nuts and spice.

4. In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well after each addition. Add a little of the flour and fruit if the mixture begins to curdle.

5. Add essences and a little gravy browning to give a darker mixture if liked. Mix in the rest of the fruit and flour mixture.

6. Put into a prepared tin and level top with the back of a spoon. Place cake in oven and reduce the temperature to very cool (275F, 140C or Gas1). Cook for the time stated in the chart. Check the cake 30mm before end of cooking time. When cooked, the cake should feel firm to touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in tin.

7. When quite cold, remove from the tin (leave the greaseproof paper on, as this helps to keep the cake moist). Turn the cake upside down and wrap in greaseproof paper, then loosely in polythene. Keep in a cool, dry, dark place. The cake improves with keeping. To increase the keeping time and to improve flavour, pierce the top of the cake with a skewer and spoon over a little brandy, sherry or rum. The cake is at its best 4 months after baking.

 

METRIC
Cake Size	15cm	18cm	20cm	23cm	25x8cm	28x9cm	30x10cm
Glace cherries	75g	100g	150g	200g	275g	375g	500g
Plain flour	200g	250g	300g	450g	650g	825g	1.1Kg
Currants	175g	225g	275g	400g	600g	750g	1Kg
Sultanas	250g	350g	425g	600g	850g	1.1 kg	1.5Kg
Raisins	75g	100g	150g	200g	300g	400g	500g
Mixed peel	50g	50g	75g	100g	150g	200g	250g
Chopped nuts	25g	50g	75g	75g	100g	175g	225g
Ground mixed spice	1 tsp	1 tsp	2 tsp	2 tsp	1 tbsp	1 tbsp	1½ tbsp
Butter	175g	225g	275g	400g	600g	750g	1Kg
Caster sugar	175g	225g	275g	400g	600g	750g	1Kg
Eggs (size2)	3	4	5	7	10	13	17

IMPERIAL Cake Size 6in 7in 8in 9x3in 10x3¼in 11x3½in 12x4in Glace cherries 3oz 4oz 5oz 7oz 10oz 13oz 1lb 2oz Plain flour 7oz 9oz 11oz 1 lb  1Ib 7oz 1lb 13oz 2lb 7oz Currants 6oz 8oz 10oz 14oz 1Ib 5oz 1lb 11oz 2lb 4oz Sultanas 9oz 12oz 15oz 1lb 5oz 1lb 14oz 2Ib 8oz 3Ib 4oz Raisins 3oz 4oz 5oz 7oz 11oz 14oz 1lb 2oz Mixed peel 2oz 2oz 3oz 4oz 5oz 7oz 9oz Chopped nuts 1oz 2oz 3oz 3oz 4oz 6oz 8oz Ground mixed spice 1 tsp 1 tsp 2 tsp 2 tsp 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 1½ tbsp Butter 6oz 8oz l0oz l4oz 1Ib 5oz 1Ib 11oz 2Ib 3oz Caster sugar 6oz 8oz l0oz l4oz 1Ib 5oz 1Ib 11oz 2Ib 3oz Eggs (size2) 3 4 5 7 10 13 17 Cooking time (hrs) 3¾ 4 4½ 5 5 5 6

---

---

Also in Recipes