The Ultimate Classic Fruit Cake Recipes

THE ULTIMATE CLASSIC FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Place raisins in a bowl. Add enough grand Marnier/Cointreau to cover them. Cover bowl and leave for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 150°C.
• In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time. If mixture looks a bit like splitting, add a little flour.
• Add sifted flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and Grand Marnier. Mix together.
• Gently fold in soaked raisins, dried chopped apricots, sultanas, chopped peel, cherries, walnuts and hazelnuts.
• Spoon the cake mix into 2 greased and lined 22cm spring form tins.
• Bake cakes for 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours.
• Remove and cool on wire rack. Once cool spray with more alcohol and wrap in cling film. Keep cakes in cool dry place until you ice/decorate them.
• ICING: Gently heat jam until spreadable. Spread over top and edges of cake.
• Roll out marzipan very thinly to the circumference of cake, also a strip around width of cake.
• Place marzipan on cake-gently pinch strip around top and side to stick them together. Repeat this with the icing. Mix together icing sugar, egg white and a few drops of food colouring into a smooth paste. Put into icing bag and decorate as desired.

FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Combine raisins and orange rind in a microwaveable bowl and pour over the brandy. Microwave for 2 minutes then let it sit while you prepare the batter.
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients until homogenous, then fold in the dry ingredients.
• Strain the brandy from the raisins and reserve. Stir the raisins, pineapple, and pecans into the batter.
• Grease 2 (8 by 4-inch loaf pans and line the bottom with a piece of waxed paper. Spoon the batter into the pan. Bake 3 hours. Let cool and remove from pan. Poke holes with a large skewer all over the cake.
• Soak a large piece of cheese cloth in the reserved brandy. Wrap cooled cake in cheesecloth, place in large plastic bag and store in a cool, dry place.
• It is awesome served with vanilla ice cream.

BEST EVER FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Put the sugar, sultanas, currants, raisins, water, cherries, butter or margarine, salt into a saucepan, bringing it to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
• Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool. Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees / Gas Mark 3
• Grease and line with grease proof paper a 20 cm round cake tin
• Add the egg to the cooled fruit mixture and stir in well. Add the flour and mix well
• Turn into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top and arrange optional almonds on the top.
• Bake for 1.25 - 1.50 hours until risen and golden brown. Cool slightly before turning out. The cake improves with keeping.

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Combine fruit and nuts. In another bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Pour over fruit and nuts; stir to coat. , Transfer to a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 2 hours. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in a cool place. Bring to room temperature before serving; slice with a serrated knife.

QUICK FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Butter cake pans, and line with wax paper. Butter the wax paper.
• Sift the flour with the baking soda.
• In a large bowl, combine eggs, mincemeat, condensed milk, fruit, and nuts. Fold in dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake for 2 hours, or until center springs back and top is golden brown. Cool. Turn cakes out onto wire rack; remove wax paper.