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candied fruit for fruitcake
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5 from 2 votes

The Best Fruitcake Ever with Candied Fruit!

Even if it is not holiday season, I absolutely love fruit cake. It is spicy and hearty and makes me remember Christmas nights with my family. My mother used to make it but she would not teach me how to make it, so I tried a few and eventually got to this amazing easy fruit cake recipe with candied fruit that I absolutely love. I will tell you how to do it, though, so do not fret!
Prep Time3 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: The Best Fruitcake Ever with Candied Fruit!
Servings: 8 inch cake
Author: cakedecorist.com

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

  • 200 ml (14 tbsp) of hot strong black tea of any type
  • 3 tbsp of whiskey can be replaced by orange juice
  • 3 tbsp of thin or medium shred orange marmalade the best you can get
  • 2 ½ cups of mixed dried fruit
  • ½ a cup of mixed candied peel
  • 1 ½ cups of candied fruit
  • 1 cup of butter
  • 1 cup of brown sugar
  • 4 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup of plain flour
  • 1 tsp of allspice
  • 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp of ground ginger
  • 1 finely grated lemon zest
  • ---------------------

For the soak

  • 1 tbsp of brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp of hot black tea
  • 1 tbsp of whiskey can be replaced by orange juice
  • ---------------------

For the topping

  • 2 tbsp of fruit cake batter
  • ¼ of a cup of butter
  • ¼ of golden syrup
  • 2 tbsp of unsalted cashew nuts
  • 3 tbsp of whole blanched almonds
  • 5 tbsp of shelled pistachio
  • 2 tbsp of Brazil nuts
  • ½ of a cup of candied cherry
  • ¼ of a cup of dried cranberries
  • 2 tbsp of pumpkin seed

Instructions 

A, B ) For the Cake and Topping

  • In a large bowl, mix the marmalade together with the hot black tea and whiskey or orange juice until it had melted.
  • Stir in all the candied fruit and peels and the dried fruit. Leave overnight to soak, covered by a tablecloth.
  • Grease an 8 inch, deep cake tin with a loose bottom or line it and preheat oven to 280°F.
  • Cream the butter and brown sugar until it is fluffy. If you use an electric mixer it will be easier.
  • Add one egg at a time, making sure everything is well incorporated before moving on.
  • Sift the flour and spices together and add them slowly to the mixture.
  • Once everything is evenly mixed, fold in the lemon zest and soaked fruit, together with any liquid that was leftover. Save 2 tablespoons to make the topping.
  • Bake for 1 hour. While it is in the oven we are going to make the topping. In a saucepan, melt the butter and golden syrup together.
  • Add the nuts, seeds and candied fruit. Set it aside for the butter to cool and thicken.
  • At the hour mark, take the cake out of the oven. It is not yet done and it will be soft. Do not worry about it sinking because it can take the weight without any problem.
  • With a spoon, spread the 2 tablespoons of batter you had kept separate. Add the fruit and nut mix on top and put back in the oven to finish baking.
  • You know it is done once a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Take it out and let cool.
  • If it is underdone but the nuts are already golden, cover with foil and give it another 10 minutes before testing it again.
  • ---------------------

C) For the soak

  • Once the cake has cooled down a bit but it is still warm, proceed to make the soak. Be sure to do this before nutty topping firms up, if not it will ruin the top of the cake, leaving holes all over. Also, be careful with the temperature of the soak. If it is too hot it will melt the topping.
  • Using a skewer, poke holes in the cake all the way down to the bottom. This will allow the soak to penetrate the crumb.
  • Dissolve the sugar in the hot tea and then add the whiskey or orange juice.
  • Spoon the mixture over cake. You can keep it in an airtight container, away from the heat and sun, for a month.
  • Once it is completely cool, you can loosen the tin and take the cake out. This will allow time for the nutty topping to firm up. Loosen any parts of it that are stuck to the tin before transferring it to a plate.

Notes

  • To finish it off, you can use a ribbon and wrap it around. We guarantee it will look absolutely stunning! I love how the cherries look together with the browned nuts and covered by the glossy butter and syrup mixture. Totally festive!
  • The ribbon can be of any color, but I prefer a thicker band and one that goes with the brightly colored cherries and brown cake.
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