I’m going to assume you’re here because you, like me, love a bit of fruitcake.
Dense, sweet, never dry and dotted with hints of orange, a good fruitcake is something to be celebrated.
This recipe popped up on one of many journeys across the internet and seemed too good to be true. But, after pulling off the I thought anything is possible. This one has the added clout of supposedly (CWA) though it’s not clear from which state.
It’s incredibly easy to make and essentially involves an uncomfortable amount of dried mixed fruit, some liquid to steep the fruit in, and self-raising flour. Mix, bake, cool and that’s it.
You can take some liberties and add warm ground spices, a little booze, or a garnishing of raw blanched almonds to the top. Here I’ve added a bit of allspice and upped the liquid (because moist) but left it mostly unchanged.
Before we dive in, some steeping liquid alternatives include spiced chai, iced coffee, fruit juice or green tea. If you’re happy with a more natural taste go with tea, but if you prefer traditional sweetness then a sugary steeping liquid will help.
How to make the easiest fruitcake ever
How much dried fruit is too much dried fruit? Source: Camellia Aebischer
Take 1 kg of dried mixed fruit and soak it in 3 cups of recently brewed black tea overnight, up to 24 hours til the fruit is plump.
Add 1 tsp of allspice, 2 cups of self-raising flour and mix in until just combined, being careful not to over-work. It should essentially look like lots of fruit coated in a thick batter.
Spoon into a lined 20 cm cake tin, smooth down, then bake at 180°C for 1 hour, or until a skewer in the centre comes out clean (mine needed an extra 30 minutes).
Let cool in the tin completely before slicing and serving, then store in an airtight container.
The fruit to cake ratio is real, and to be honest is customisable. Source: Camellia Aebischer
