Christmas Fruitcake

Name: Christmas Fruitcake
Total time: 7200 s
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 500-700 g mixed dry fruits (raisins, sultanas, currants, chopped dates); 100 ml premier brandy; 250 g softened butter; 250 g brown sugar or 200g Demerara sugar; 4 large eggs at room temperature; 1 tsp blackjack/treacle or more for a darker color; 250 g self-rising flour; 1 tsp cinnamon powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 1 tsp ginger powder; 1/2 tsp mixed spice

Bianca Mwale @bianca_eatsy

Zomba, Malawi

Every year I plan to gift fruitcake slices for Christmas to family and friends but somehow my husband and I end up eating it all 😂. I hope this year we can do better. This time around I’m using a recipe that requires just 3weeks of prep time so that by the time it’s ready, it’s already Christmas time. I normally would make fruitcake 3 to 4months prior but that clearly hasn’t stayed true to the purpose.

Bianca Mwale @bianca_eatsy

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Ingredients

2 hours

10 to 12 servings

500-700 gmixed dry fruits (raisins, sultanas, currants, chopped dates)
100 mlpremier brandy
250 gsoftened butter
250 gbrown sugar or 200g Demerara sugar
4large eggs at room temperature
1 tspblackjack/treacle or more for a darker color
250 gself-rising flour
1 tspcinnamon powder
1/4 tspsalt
1/2 tspnutmeg
1 tspginger powder
1/2 tspmixed spice

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Steps

2 hours

1

Soak mixed fruits in brandy for a minimum of 24hrs i.e. you could soak longer to about a week, stir every few days for even distribution of the alcohol. The idea is for the fruits to suck in all the liquid
2

Preheat oven between 130C to 140C. Line an 8” round pan with doubled layered parchment paper at the bottom and on the sides. Set aside
3

Cream butter and sugar until light, airy, and almost doubled in volume (about 10minutes of heavy beating on a stand mixer). Beat in the eggs, one at a time and ensuring a thorough mix between each addition. Beat in the treacle
4

Sift together all the dry ingredients then FOLD into the creamed mixture until fully incorporated. However, do not over-mix
5

Stir the fruits into the cake mixture. Transfer into the baking tin and bake for 2hrs or until skewer poked through comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs. Once baked, poke holes into the cake let cool in pan on a wire rack for 20minutes to allow the cake to firm up and hold shape
6

Once out of the pan, feed the cake with brandy by pouring spoonfuls all over the top and brushing the sides (you need about 3 to 4 tablespoons for this size). For storage, keep it wrapped in layers of cling wrap and foil to retain it’s moisture. Repeat the feeding once every week and stop feeding a week prior to when the cake will be served
7

Decorate with fondant or leave as is. Enjoy!