Christmas fruitcake
This English-style Christmas fruitcake is packed with raisins, candied fruit and cranberries soaked overnight in brandy. It bakes very slowly at a low temperature for several hours, giving a moist, dark crumb fragrant with spices. Traditionally, the cake is made several weeks ahead and fed with more brandy regularly so the flavor grows ever deeper.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 3 hr 30 min
- Rising or chilling
- 12 hr
- Total time
- 16 hr 10 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Brandy-soaked fruit
Cake batter
Brandy for feeding
Instructions
Step 1
Mix 400 g raisins, 150 g candied fruit, 100 g dried cranberries, 5 g orange zest and 4 g lemon zest with 100 g brandy, cover tightly and soak overnight. Fruit that has soaked up the brandy turns plump and will not draw moisture out of the crumb during baking. The fruit is ready when it is plump and there is almost no brandy left in the bottom of the bowl.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius and line the bottom and sides of a 20 cm round pan with two layers of parchment paper so the paper stands about five centimeters above the rim, then wrap a double-folded strip of newspaper around the outside and tie it with string. This insulation protects the edges of the cake from drying out and burning during the long bake. The pan is ready when the paper stands firm and the string is tied tight.
Step 3
Beat 200 g softened unsalted butter with 200 g brown sugar and 15 g molasses for about four minutes on medium speed. The molasses gives the cake its characteristic dark color and deep caramel flavor. The mixture is ready when it is fluffy, a milky brown and smooth when rubbed between two fingers.
Step 4
Beat 200 g eggs and pour them slowly into the butter mixture a little at a time, adding a spoonful of flour if the mixture starts to look curdled. Adding the eggs slowly helps the butter keep a smooth texture that can hold up the heavy fruit. The mixture is ready when it is glossy, smooth and thick like cream.
Step 5
Sift 225 g all-purpose flour, 50 g almond flour, 3 g ground allspice, 3 g ground cinnamon, 1 g ground nutmeg and a pinch salt into the bowl and fold in, then add all the soaked fruit and 50 g sliced almonds. Gentle folding keeps the batter from turning tough while coating the fruit evenly. The batter is ready when it is very thick, the fruit is spread all through it and there are no streaks of dry flour.
Step 6
Spoon the batter into the pan, press it down lightly to fill any gaps, make a slight hollow in the center of the top and bake at 140 degrees Celsius for about 3 to 3 and a half hours. The low temperature cooks the center evenly without burning the fruit on the outside and making it bitter. The cake is done when the top is dark brown and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 7
Leave the cake in its pan on a rack to cool completely for at least two hours before removing the paper. A hot fruitcake is very heavy and can easily break in half if taken out too soon. The cake is ready when the pan is completely cool and the cake pulls away from the paper on its own.
Step 8
Poke lots of small holes in the top of the cake with a skewer, slowly brush 30 g brandy over it, then wrap the cake in two layers of parchment paper and one layer of foil. The brandy keeps the cake moist, helps it keep longer and lets its flavor mature over time. Repeat the feeding once a week; the cake is ready when the top has absorbed all the brandy and is no longer wet.
Equipment
- Oven
- Round cake pan
- Parchment paper
- Kitchen twine
- Hand mixer
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Pastry brush
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Make the cake two to six weeks before Christmas so the brandy and spices have time to meld.
- If you prefer not to use alcohol, soak the fruit in orange juice or strong black tea, but the cake will then keep for only about a week.
- Placing a small pan of water on the lower rack of the oven while baking helps keep the top of the cake from drying out and cracking.
Storage
Once fed and tightly wrapped, the cake keeps in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three months. After cutting, wrap the cut side tightly and eat it within two weeks.
Common problems and how to fix them
- All the fruit sank to the bottom of the cake.
- The batter was too thin or the fruit was still wet with brandy. Drain the fruit well and keep the batter very thick by creaming the butter until fluffy and adding the eggs slowly.
- The edges are burnt and hard while the center is still underbaked.
- The oven was too hot or the pan lacked insulation. Check the temperature with an oven thermometer, wrap paper around the pan and lay a sheet of parchment over the top after the first hour of baking.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
