Description
This easy moist Christmas fruit cake is packed with a rich blend of dried fruits soaked in juice or brandy, enhanced with warm spices, dark brown sugar, molasses, and nuts. Perfectly dense and flavorful, it can be enjoyed plain or decorated traditionally with marzipan and fondant for a festive touch. Serve with pouring custard for a classic holiday dessert experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Fast Soaked Fruit:
- 300g raisins
- 150g diced dried apricots, chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 75g mixed peel, diced 5mm / 1/5"
- 150g glace cherries, chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 180g dates, diced 5mm / 1/5"
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice or 1/3 cup brandy + 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp juice
Cake:
- 120g unsalted butter, softened (8 tbsp / 1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, grapeseed)
- 3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 2/3 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
For Serving (optional):
- 500ml pouring custard, homemade or store bought
White Christmas Cake Decoration (optional):
- 250g "ready to roll" marzipan
- 250g "ready to roll" white fondant
- Cherries dusted with icing sugar
Other Decorating Options (optional):
- Cherries or other fruit dusted with icing sugar
- Drippy white glaze (plain sweet white glaze without lemon juice)
Instructions
- Prepare the fast soaked fruit: Place all dried fruits and juice or brandy in a large microwavable container. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds until hot. Stir well to coat all the fruit evenly in the liquid, then cover and set aside for 1 hour to soak and cool.
- Preheat and prepare the cake pan: Preheat your oven to 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 21-22 cm (8-9 inch) round cake pan with baking parchment, ensuring sides are about 7 cm (2.75 inches) tall.
- Cream butter and sugar: Using an electric beater, beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, approximately 1 minute.
- Add oil and molasses: Beat in the vegetable oil and molasses or golden syrup until fully combined.
- Incorporate spices and leavening: Add salt, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder to the batter. Beat until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Add eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is just incorporated before adding the next.
- Mix in flour: Stir in the plain flour until the batter is mostly combined.
- Fold in fruit and nuts: Add the soaked fruit mixture, including any extra soaking liquid, and the chopped walnuts (if using). Stir gently to combine without overmixing.
- Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and cover the top with foil. Bake for 2 hours and 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Begin checking after 30 minutes for doneness.
- Cool the cake: Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate and serve: Once cooled, the cake may be eaten plain or decorated with marzipan and fondant as traditional. For decoration, roll out marzipan and fondant with icing sugar dusting, cover the cake smoothly, and add diamond quilting with silver balls and cherries if desired. Serve with pouring custard for a classic accompaniment.
- Cutting: Cut the cake into thin wedges or thin strips approximately 2 cm wide, then cut strips into serving-sized pieces. Due to its rich density, it serves about 20 to 25 people.
Notes
- You can use any chopped dried fruit totaling 855g; the given combination avoids overly citrusy flavor.
- Mixed peel is sweetened crystallized orange and lemon peel, not fresh peel which is stronger and bitter.
- Using pre-chopped dried fruit is convenient, but chopping fresh dried fruit yields a moister cake.
- Apple juice is neutral-flavored, but orange juice or other mild fruit juices may also be used. Brandy is optional; the cake is excellent both with or without alcohol.
- Dark brown sugar provides richer color and flavor; regular brown sugar lightens the color and taste.
- Molasses and golden syrup are interchangeable; both enhance flavor and color.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 months or freeze for up to a year for best longevity.
- Enhance store-bought custard by stirring in vanilla bean paste for extra richness.
- Marzipan creates a smooth surface for fondant; shields cake and adds almond flavor. Fondant layer is decorative and can be patched with icing sugar and water if cracked.
- The drippy white glaze is a sweet plain glaze without lemon and can be used as a simpler decoration alternative.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 70g)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
