Tips For Baking A Fruit Cake At Home

Though a Christmas special treat, we all agree that fruit cakes can be enjoyed at any time of the year. Whether you wish to enjoy it with your family over a cup of tea or during Christmas, to add in to the warm festivities, fruit cakes with their lip-smacking taste and tempting aroma lures one and all. The good thing is that if you are wondering how to make fruit cake at home, we would say that it is extremely easy and convenient to do so. However, to make the best fruit cake that is both moist and filled with delicious fruits it is important that you keep a few things in mind. Today, we will not only give you the recipe of a delicious fruit cake, but we will also let you know some important tips to keep in mind while baking this delicious cake so that instead of placing a birthday cake order online, you can bake one at home. So let’s get going.

Fruit Cake Ingredients List

1. 1 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour

2. ¾ cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

3. ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar

4. 4 Eggs

5. ½ cup Orange Juice Or Rum/Brandy

6. 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

7. ¼ tsp Salt

Spice Mix

1. ½ tsp Nutmeg

2. ½ tsp Mix Spice (see note below)

3. ⅛ tsp Ground Mace (just a pinch)

Dry Fruits and Nuts

1. 6 oz Sultanas

2. 6 oz Currents

3. 6 oz Raisins

4. 3 oz Glace cherries or dried apricots

5. 3 oz Mixed peel or dried cranberries

6. ½ tsp Zest of half lemon

7. 3 tbsp Almond meal ground lmons

Optional

1. 1 ½ tsp Black Treacle

2. 3 tbsp Additional Rum /brandy

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the cake pan for baking and spray and line the pan with baking or parchment paper on the bottom and on the sides.

2. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminium foil to avoid overcooking and place the cake pan in a large baking tray for water bath baking.

3. Preheat the oven to 150 degree celsius or 300 degree Fahrenheit

4. Sift all the dry ingredients except fruits in a bowl and also mix all the salts and spices along with them.

5. When adding soaked fruits make sure that you drain them completely of all the alcohol and if you do not wish to soak the fruits, place them in a bowl and add half of the flour to prevent them from sinking at the bottom of the cake while baking.

To Prepare Cake Batter

1. In a bowl of an electric mixer add butter, add butter and sugar and mix at medium speed until the mixture is light fluffy. Now, add eggs one at a time and mix.

2. Also add vanilla extract, alcohol and also add fruits if you wish to. If you are using soaked fruits, you can add them to.

3. After mixing lightly, spread the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake it in a double boiler.

4. For that, place the baking pan in an oven tray and add boiling water to the tray, this will help the cake to remain moist.

5. Now, keep the oven tray in the center rack and bake the cake at 150 degree celsius for approximately 2 hours.

6. After 2 hours, insert a skewer into the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, your cake is prepared. Now, take out the baking tray and let it cool. Later place the cake on a wired rack and let it cool further. You can also add liquor from the top of the cake for the extra flavour.

7. Decorate the cake as you wish and serve.

Tips To Keep In Mind While Baking The Fruit Cake

1. Soak the fruits overnight if not longer as they will soften and make the cake moist.

2. Remember to dust the fruits with flour so that the fruits do not sink to the bottom of the cake while baking.

3. Fill the cake pan only ⅔ and not more to ensure even baking of the cake.

4. Fruit cakes take longer than usual cakes to bake, which is why lining the baking pan on all the sides is an important step that you must not miss as it will prevent the outside of the cake from overcooking.

5. While baking a fruit cake, ensure that the temperature of the oven is low so that the batter cooks evenly without drying.

6. To keep the cake moist, add some water to the baking tray around the pan or place a small bowl

If you follow all the instructions, you will simply get the best fruit cake of your life that you ever had. So, get on your baking gloves and if you feel that you do not have the baking skill, you can order a fruit cake online from the best cake shop in your area and enjoy it with your friends and family.