Christmas Fruit Cake with a Twist

Have you made your Christmas Cake yet?  Well you may wish to try this Christmas Fruit Cake with a Twist

Ingredients:

• 5 Green tea with Pomegranate tea bags
• 1½ cups boiling water
• 2-3 tbs brandy, depending on taste
• 2 cups Dried baking blend fruit mix
• 1 cup candied peel
• 100g glace cherries – sliced
• 125g butter
• 1¼ cups berry sugar – regular sugar will also work.
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 2 slightly beaten large eggs
• 100 gr chopped walnuts and or pecan nuts

this For later use

Method

1. Place the tea bags in a pot, pour the boiling water over, and let them steep for at least 10 minutes or more until you have a nice and strong brew.
2. Squeeze the bags dry and discard. Now add the fruit to the tea and let them soak.
3. Once ready, add the butter, sugar, and peel and boil together for ±15 minutes.
4. Let it cool down slightly, and then add and stir in the bicarbonate of soda and set aside to cool down some more.
5. Set the oven to 170°C / 350°F.
6. Meanwhile, grease and line a 22 cm (round or if you prefer a square) cake tin with parchment paper.
7. Once the above mixture has cooled down adequately, add the flour, beaten eggs, and nuts and mix well.
8. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top.
9. This year we decided, to make one small 4” round baby fruitcake, as I am the only one at home eating fruit cake, thus do not need the entire recipe.
10. Bake for 1 hour, or until risen and firm to the touch. The 4” only took a ½ hour.
11. Cool in the tin/s for 10 mins, then turn it out on a wire rack.
12. Once cold liberally paint with brandy and then wrap the cake in tin foil. Store in an airtight container.
13. Continue to paint the cake every 2-4 days leading up to Christmas with brandy, and re-wrap before finally icing the cake.
14. As you will notice, no decorating is done as yet, but decorate to your own preference (with fondant) and you will have a beautiful and festive fruitcake.

Prepared, tried, and tested by Corlea Smit and Esme Slabs

Decorated by Corlea Smit

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