Indulge in the festive spirit with our Fruity Christmas Cake! Bursting with rich flavors and colorful fruits, it’s the perfect addition to your holiday feast.

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A Festive Guide to Crafting the Perfect Fruity Christmas Cake

The Tradition of Fruity Christmas Cakes

The journey of the Fruity Christmas Cake began centuries ago. This dessert has interwoven itself into the fabric of festive celebrations worldwide. Originally a symbol of wealth and prosperity, its preparation involved families gathering to mix the brandy-soaked fruits, a ritual signaling the start of the Christmas season. Cultures across the globe have adopted and adapted this tradition, making the cake a centerpiece of holiday desserts. Each slice served brings a burst of rich, spirited flavors and connects us to the historical tapestry of Christmas traditions. Preparing Your Cake: Ingredients and Pre-soaking

For the Fruity Christmas Cake, gather 450g currants, 175g sultanas, and 175g raisins. Add 50g chopped glazed cherries and 50g mixed candied peel. Soak these in 100ml brandy. This pre-soaking process infuses the cake with a rich, brandy-soaked fruit flavor, crucial for a traditional Christmas baking experience. Over time, the fruits absorb the brandy, creating a moist, flavorful base essential for the festive dessert’s success.

Baking Your Festive Dessert

Begin by heating the oven to 300F. This temperature brings out the rich, complex flavors in the Fruity Christmas Cake, turning it into an unforgettable holiday dessert. Mixing soaked fruit, —raisins, currants, sultanas, alongside glazed cherries, and candied peel drenched in brandy—with flour, dark brown soft sugar, eggs, black treacle, and butter forms a batter laden with Christmas traditions. Add chopped almonds and the zest of lemon and orange for a hint of freshness. Pour the mixture into a cake tin prepared with baking parchment. It is crucial to place this on the oven’s lowest shelf for a slow four-hour bake to achieve the cake’s perfect texture and sublime taste. This Christmas baking ritual will ensure your cake is a celebratory centerpiece, embodying the spirit of seasonal baking.

Enhancing Your Fruity Christmas Cake: Feeding and Decorating Tips

To infuse your cake with moisture and rich flavors, initiate the ‘feeding’ ritual by meticulously threading Armagnac or brandy through tiny punctures scattered atop and at the base. This procedure, undertaken biweekly, guarantees a sumptuously moist dessert. Should you decide against marzipan and icing, a decorative touch involves nestling whole blanched almonds gracefully upon its surface, presenting an understated yet elegant facade.

Enjoying Your Festive Dessert

Upon completion of the festive baking process, which included soaking fruits in brandy and adorning with seasonal decorations such as marzipan or almonds, the time to present the Fruity Christmas Cake to friends and family has arrived. This dessert, steeped in Christmas traditions, is a blend of rich flavors from candied peel and glazed cherries, enveloped in the aroma of holiday spices. To keep each slice as moist and inviting as the day it was sliced, one should store the cake in an airtight container, carefully lined with baking parchment. Offering this cake, whether as part of a decorative spread or as the highlight of a holiday meal, allows for a moment of joyous sharing. Invite loved ones to indulge in a slice, making the act of enjoying this holiday dessert a cherished part of your seasonal festivities.

Fruity Christmas Cake

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• Author: EsmeSalon
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Soak, Dry off Time: 12 hours
• Cook Time: 4 hours
• Total Time: 16 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 12–15 servings depending on size 1x
• Category: Cake, Cupcakes, Cookies and Tarts
• Method: Moderate

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Description

Fruity Christmas Cake: Tradition you can taste.

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Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

For the pre-soaking:

• 450g currants
• 175g sultanas
• 175g raisins
• 50g chopped glazed cherries
• 50g mixed chopped candied peel
• 100ml brandy

For the cake:

• 225g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 level teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/2 level teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 225g dark brown soft sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 dessertspoon black treacle
• 225g spreadable butter
• 50g chopped almonds (skin on)
• Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

For feeding and decoration:

• Armagnac or brandy to ‘feed’ the cake.
• 100g whole blanched almonds (only if you don’t intend to ice the cake)

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Instructions

Night Before Preparation: Pre-Soaking the Fruit

Prepare the soaking ingredients the night before you plan to bake the fruit cake. Allow at least 12 hours for the fruits to soak.

1. Place all the dried fruits in a bowl.
2. Mix them with the brandy.
3. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it sit for at least 12 hours.

Baking the Cake

1. Set the oven to 300°F (150°C).
2. Prepare the batter by sifting the flour, salt, and spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, eggs, warmed treacle (to make it easier to mix), and butter.
3. Beat everything together with an electric hand mixer until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
4. Add the Fruits and Zest
5. Gradually fold in the pre-soaked fruits, and chopped nuts.
6. Mix in the grated lemon and orange zest.
7. Fill the Cake Tin by spooning the cake mixture into a prepared cake tin. Be sure to smooth the top with the back of the spoon.
8. If you’re not planning to decorate the cake with marzipan and icing, arrange the blanched almonds in circles on the surface.
9. When baking and to protect the cake, place a double layer of baking parchment with a dollar-sized hole in the center over the rim of the tin (not directly on the cake mixture).
10. Place the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven and bake for 4 hours without opening the oven.
11. Check if the center feels springy. Sometimes it may need an extra 30–45 minutes.
12. Let the cake cool in the tin for 30 minutes.
13. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Feeding the Cake:

1. Once the cake is cold, use a skewer or cocktail stick to poke small holes in the top and bottom.
2. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of Armagnac or brandy into the holes.
3. Wrap the cake in parchment paper and then cover it with foil and store it in an airtight container.
4. You can continue feeding the cake with brandy at intervals until you’re ready to ice or eat it.

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Equipment

Electric Hand Mixer

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loose-bottom cake tin

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Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

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Notes

Prepared, tried, and tested by Beverley from SA Tasty Recipes – Saffas Daily Recipes 

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 1263
• Sugar: 146.6 g
• Sodium: 780.6 mg
• Fat: 12.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 171.5 g
• Fiber: 4.8 g
• Protein: 16.6 g
• Cholesterol: 49.6 mg

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