Gail's Christmas Cake

ROOIBOS INFUSED FRUIT CAKE
Ingredients
3 Rooibos tea bags
375 ml boiling water**** see below
375g (3cups) fruit cake mix

100gr glaced cherries
125g butter
225gr sugar (11/4cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250gr (2 cups) self raising flour
2 eggs slightly beaten
100gr chopped walnuts or pecan nuts
Method
Put the tea bags in a pot and pour the boiling water over them.
Leave for a good 10 mins to infuse.
Squeeze them out and throw them away, then mix the fruit into the tea.
Boil together with the butter and sugar for approx 15 mins.
Once boiled stir in bicarbonate of soda and set aside to allow to cool.
Set the oven to 170°C ( fan assist oven 150°C ) grease and line your square or round 22 cm cake tin with brown paper then grease again
Once the mixture has cooled add the flour, beaten eggs and nuts and mix well.
Spoon the mixture into tin and level the top.
Bake for 1 hour, or until risen and firm to the touch.
Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out to cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled wrap in tin foil and then in cling wrap. Store in an airtight container.
Tip: Cover the cake with tin foil if necessary towards the end of the baking time if you feel it’s getting too brown
Note**** I used 100 ml brandy and 275 ml boiling water.
Alternatively, you can add some orange juice instead of the brandy.
Note**** I feed the cake every week for 3 weeks leading up to Christmas with 2 tbsp brandy. Pour over the cake then re-wrap before finally icing the cake.
Fondant Icing and decorating
Ice the cake with a thin layer of Marzipan and a layer of White Fondant icing.
Store bought (Trumps).
Over the cold cake apply some heated apricot jam with a brush then roll your marzipan thinly. Drape over the cake.
Cut and trim your edges. Roll white fondant icing out and drape over the marzipan.
Cut and trim your edges.
Decorate with Christmas fondant cutouts and wrap a ribbon around the cake and you have one jolly fruitcake🌲🌲☃☃🎄🎄
Source: Fazila Olla-Logda
Adapted, prepared, tried and tested by:  Gail Haselsteiner‎