Wine Cupboard Fruit Cake

Name: Wine Cupboard Fruit Cake
Total time: 3 h
Yield: Makes: 16-portion cake
Ingredients: 900 g / 2 lb mixed dried fruit – the older the better: seedless raisins, sultanas, currants, chopped figs and dates, chopped candied peel, halved glacé or dried cherries; 200 ml / 7 fl oz mixed spirits: brandy, rum, sherry, fruit liqueurs; 60 g / 2 oz flaked almonds; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; 60 g / 2 oz ground almonds; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 350 g / 12 oz plain white flour; 4 eggs; 230 g / 8 oz dark muscovado sugar; 230 g / 8 oz unsalted butter

Preparation info

Makes:
16
-portion cake

Difficulty
Complex
Ready in
3 hr

Appears in

Cakes

By Geraldene Holt

Published 2011

About

Clearing out my kitchen cupboards led to this cake. Rarely was virtue so well rewarded – and aged dried fruit and spirituous bottle ends have never tasted so good.

Ingredients

200 ml / 7 fl oz mixed spirits: brandy, rum, sherry, fruit liqueurs
900<

Cake
Vegetarian

Method

Stir the brandy mixture into the dried fruit in a mixing bowl and leave in a warm place for 2–4 hours, stirring now and again, until the fruit has absorbed all the liquid.

Cream the butter with the sifted sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir the flour sifted with the bicarbonate of soda and spices into the mixture. Mix in the ground and flaked almonds and