Christmas Fruit Cake

I’m not a big fan of rich fruitcake but this particular recipe from my mum, I like. The taste of alcohol is not overly strong and it’s not too sweet either. Big Kid likes it so it’s suitable to a kid’s palate although I have to say Big Kid does not have a palate of a typical 7-year-old!

Christmas Fruit Cake

1 kg mixed fruits and peel
100g almond nibs
250g butter
200g dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
250g plain flour, sifted
50g almond meal

Put fruits and peel in a medium bowl and pour over 1/4 cup brandy, 1/4 cup liqueur (I used Cointreau) and 2 tablespoons rum. Toss the fruits and cover the bowl with food wrap. Soak up to 2 weeks. If using glazed mixed fruits, rinse fruit before using.

Line a 8″ square tin with 2 layers of parchment paper. Leave the paper higher than the sides of the tin. Preheat oven to 150 degrees C/300 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and almond meal. Add in the soaked fruits and almond nibs and turn to mix evenly. Pour cake batter into the bowl and fold mixture by hand. Scrape mixture into pan and bake at 150 degrees C/300 degrees F for 30 minutes then lower temperature to 120 degrees C/250 degrees F and bake for 2.5 hours and top turns golden brown.

Brush top of cake with 2 tablespoons of brandy/rum while cake is still warm. Let cake cool completely before wrapping in food wrap and storing in an airtight container. Wait at least 2 days before cutting. The cake is successful when it doesn’t crumble when cut. Cut cake with a thin, sharp knife. The cake will mature and taste better overtime.

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