Dessert
Christmas Fruit Cake with Dried Fruit
- Total timeTotal
- 1 hr 30′
- ServingsServings
- 10-12
This Christmas fruit cake is very easy and just right for the holidays. If you love dried fruit, simply pick your favorites and make your own Christmas cake.
This Christmas fruit cake is very easy and just right for the holidays. If you love dried fruit, simply pick your favorites and make your own Christmas cake.
As a child, I remember we kept Christmas cake recipes from magazines and books and tried a different one every year. I went looking for all those old recipes, and found this one in a 1980s recipe leaflet. It's a lighter cake than a classic British fruitcake, with a simple glaze on top.
Step by step
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The recipe
Christmas Fruit Cake with Dried Fruit Recipe
Total time 1 hr 30′ · 10-12 servings
Ingredients
Method
- Leave the margarine at room temperature to soften.
- Start with the dried fruit. Choose the ones you like for the cake and cut them into small pieces. Put them in a bowl with the brandy, stir and set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder.
- Beat the margarine with the sugar in the mixer until fluffy and smooth.
- TipThis Christmas fruit cake isn’t very sweet; add a little more sugar if you like.
- Then add the vanilla extract.
- Keep beating and add 1 egg, then a little of the flour mixture. Beat constantly and repeat with the rest of the eggs and flour.
- The batter for the Christmas fruit cake is almost ready.
- Drain the dried fruit and add the brandy to the cake batter.
- Toss the dried fruit with 1 tbsp flour.
- Lower the mixer speed and add the dried fruit.
- TipGrease a round cake pan and dust it with flour, so the cake doesn’t stick.
- Pour all the batter into the pan and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C, fan, for 70–75 minutes. At 70 minutes, insert a knife into the center: if it comes out dry, the cake is done; if it’s still moist, bake a little longer.
- Once the Christmas fruit cake is baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool completely.
- Then unmold it and turn it out onto a platter.
- Whisk the powdered sugar with the milk until you have a smooth, thick icing.
- Pour the icing over the cake and decorate with edible gold dust and star cookies, or any Christmas decorations you like.
- Keep the Christmas fruit cake out of the fridge for a few days, covered with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
- TipYou can also bake it in a Christmas tree or star-shaped pan, or in a round pan to make a vasilopita with dried fruit.
