Fruit Cake Recipe -Simplest Recipe Ever :-It’s soft, juicy, and tastes great. It only takes hours, not days, to make from start to end. Since you don’t need an electric mixer and there’s no booze, it’s great for Christmas parties and good for kids.
Fruit Cake Recipe -Simplest Recipe Ever
INGREDIENTS :
- 600 grams (approximately 3 and 1/3 cups) dried fruit (see notes)
- Zest of 1 large orange, finely grated
- 160 ml (2/3 cup) apple juice, (see notes)
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 190 grams (1 cup) brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3Â large eggs
INSTRUCTIONS :
In a large mixing bowl, add dried fruit, orange zest, apple juice and stir. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute and then stir. Heat again for 1 minute and stir. Fruit should be hot to the touch.
Cover the bowl of fruit with a large plate and let it sit for 1 hour. Fruit will cool, soak up the juice and become plump and juicy.
Preheat oven to 170 C (340 F) standard / 150 C (300 F) fan-forced.
Lightly grease a high-sided (3 inches deep) 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom and sides with baking paper or parchment paper.
In a separate large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder and salt. Stir or whisk briefly to mix.
Heat butter in the microwave until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Butter should be melted but not hot. If it’s hot to the touch, let it cool slightly before continuing.
Add butter, vanilla and eggs to flour mix and gently stir. Add dried fruit, including any juice left in the bowl, and stir until fruit is completely coated and there are no pockets of flour.
Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Place cake in the oven on the middle rack and bake 1 hour. Then cover cake loosely with aluminum foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes.
Double check if your cake is fully cooked in the middle by inserting a skewer in multiple places to see if it comes out completely clean. If not, bake your cake for another 10 minutes and then try again.
Leave your cake to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cake must be completely cool before slicing otherwise it will crumble.
NOTES :
Dried fruit:Â I used a mix of raisins, sultanas and mixed peel (500 grams), dried cranberries (50 grams) and glanced cherries (50 grams). You can mix up the food you add, though, as long as you add the total weight (600 grams). Just make sure that all of the fruits are about the same size.
Cut any pieces that are bigger than a sultana or dried cranberry into small bits first. I slice the glanced cherries into fourths. To make the cake easier to cut, don’t put in fruit bits that are too big.
Apple juice: I use 100% apple juice to test this method, and it works great. You can also use orange juice, but it will make the cake taste more like citrus.
Baking times: Keep in mind that baking times are just suggestions because every oven is different. This cake has been tried in my electric oven on the fan-forced setting more than once. It might take longer to cook your cake.
Here is where you should use your gut as a baker and the tips from the previous post to figure out when the cake is done.
Storage: This cake can be kept at room temperature for up to a week in a container that doesn’t let air in. You can also freeze this cake and then just let it thaw before serving.
Serving suggestion: This cake can be eaten hot or cold. It tastes great by itself for morning or afternoon tea, or warm with custard for dessert. For a beautiful glaze look, sprinkle with icing sugar or brush with warm apricot jam.
