Rich Fruitcake
- 250 g plain flour
- 250 g butter
- 150 g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons caramels (or more for better colour)
- 150 g black currants
- 100 g sultanas
- 50 g raisins
- 50 g glace cherries
- 50 g tutti-frutti
- 1 teaspoon lemon, grated
- 50 g almonds, chopped
- 50 g cashews (rolled in caramel)
- 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 12 teaspoon ground ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons black currant jam
- Soak black currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries and Tutti-fruiti in orange juice for 2 days.
- As far as preparing caramel is concerned, you could either caramelise sugar at home by melting it over the gas with a little water and butter (to keep it from drying) or you could buy brown sugar from the market.
- Instead of caramel, add 100 gms.
- brown sugar.
- But remember to add a tablespoons.
- or more of caramel too.
- To prepare this cake, you require a 7 inch round cake tin (plus greae proof/butter paper).
- You will also require a balloon whisk to blend the ingredients and bowls to mix them.
- To start preparing this cake, put castor sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.
- Add sugar.
- Stir well with a balloon whisk.
- Add nuts.
- Fold in three-fourth of the flour into the mixture.
- In the remaining flour, mix the soaked fruits so that they will not stick to the bottom while baking.
- Add the fruits and stir again.
- Take the cake tin, cut a circular shape from the grease proof/butter paper, by placing the tin on top and tracing around the base, and insert it into the tin.
- Do not forget to brush the insides of the tin and the sides with vegetable oil or butter before placing the lining.
- Make strips of the paper to line the sides of the tin.
- Preheat oven to 140 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Spoon the prepared mixture into the tin.
- Bake for an hour and 45 minutes.
- When baked take it out of the tin and leave it to cool overnight.
- Cover it airtight with cling film.
- You could leave the lining paper on the cake to keep it moist.
- When cool, place it on a cake base, apply black currant jam on all sides and roll out the marzipan (recipe posted separately) dough.
- Cover the cake with the dough tightly so as to avoid air bubbles.
- Cut the edges to shape the cake.
- Now roll out the fondant icing and place it on top to cover the cake completely, till the edges of the base.
- Decorate it with red ribbon and make a spray of flowers using the sugar paste (also known as"fondant white icing"- recipe posted separately).
- Add red colour to it before creating the flowers.
- You can use flower moulds to make roses.
- Make cherries and leaves for effect.
- Enjoy an early Chirstmas!
flour, butter, caster sugar, eggs, caramels, black currants, sultanas, raisins, glace cherries, lemon, almonds, cashews, ground mixed spice, ground ground nutmeg, black currant
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/rich-fruitcake-69507 (may not work)