The Rich Fruit Cake Recipe This recipe makes a wonderfully moist, rich fruit cake, ideal for Christmas, weddings, christenings, or birthdays.

Ingredients:

1 1⁄4 cups (7oz) golden raisins

2 1⁄2 (14oz) cups raisins

2 cups (12oz) prunes, chopped

21⁄2 cups (12oz) glacé cherries

2 small apples, peeled, cored,

and finely chopped

2 cups cider

4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

14 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

1 1⁄3 cups (6oz) ground almonds

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

14oz (400g) store-bought marzipan

2–3 tbsp apricot jam

4 cups confectioner’s sugar,

plus extra for dusting

3 large egg whites

Rich Fruit Cake

1 Place the golden raisins, raisins, prunes, cherries, apple, cider, and spice in a saucepan.

2 Bring slowly to simmer over medium-low heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

3 Remove from the heat. Leave overnight at room temperature; the fruits will absorb liquid.

4 Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Doubleline the cake pan with parchment paper.

5 Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

6 Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating very well after each addition to prevent curdling.

7 Gently mix in the fruit and ground almonds, trying to keep the volume in the batter.

8 Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, and mix into the batter.

9 Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, cover with foil, and bake for 2½ hours.

10 Test if the cake is ready: a skewer inserted into the center should come out clean.

11 Leave to cool, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper.

12 Trim the cake to level it. Transfer to a stand and hold in place with some marzipan.

13 Warm the jam and brush thickly over the whole cake. This will help the marzipan stick.

14 On a lightly floured surface, knead the remaining marzipan until softened.

15 Roll out the softened marzipan until wide enough to cover the cake.

16 Wrap the marzipan around the rolling pin, and drape it over the cold fruit cake.

17 Gently, with your hands, ease the marzipan into place, smoothing out any bumps.

18 With a small, sharp knife, cut away any excess marzipan from the base of the cake.

19 Place the egg whites in a bowl and sift in the confectioner’s sugar. Stir well to combine.


20 With an electric mixer, beat the sugar mixture for 10 minutes until stiff.

21 Spread the icing with a palette knife. STORE Will keep, un-iced, for 8 weeks.

Rich Fruit Cake Recipe