Fruit cake, Christmas cake, last minute hacks

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Never let anyone tell you you are too late! This fruit cake can be made at any time at all- even the day you want it. It’s a boiled fruit cake that can be mixed all in one pot before baking.

It really is as simple as that. No marinating no creaming just mix, simmer stir then bake. This is the fruit cake lovers cake because it is so quick simple and delivers on fruity moist texture.

I use a mix of fruit including citrus peel, cherries, raisins, currants and sultanas and then I added dates so they would break up a bit like they do in a sticky date cake.

It has a quick royal icing. This is made with nothing more than icing sugar, lemon, and egg white. Of course, you don’t need to decorate your if you don’t want. It is lovely enough to be served hot with custard too.

How to make quick fabulous boiled fruit cake at the last minute

Putting the cake together couldn’t be easier:

1. Start with a kilo and a bit of fruit. Mine is mixed and includes chopped dates for colour. These are also great in the mix as they break down just as they do in a date cake.
2. Next, add butter and brown sugar for richness and caramel flavour
3. Follow that with brandy ( or sherry ), zest and juice and molasses (if using)
4. Next up you bring this just up to a simmer and stir until everything is melted then set aside to cool.
5. Add the eggs to the cooled mixture and stir well while it is still in the pot
6. All that is left is the flour, spices and vanilla. Add these to the pot and stir until well combined
7. And it’s all done! Add the mixture to a 23 cm / 9.5-inch tin lined with baking paper
8. Bake the cake in a slow oven, about 160C / 320 F
9. Halfway through the baking I gently take out the cake. It should look nice and golden going to brown
10. Cover the top with foil and tuck it around the sides using a tea towel because it will be hot! Put the cake back into the oven. It will take about 3 hours.
11. Take the cake out of the oven and set on a rack. Test the centre with a skewer. This should come out clean.
12. You can paint the cake with syrup if you like. This adds a nice flavour but it isn’t a compulsory step. See the recipe for the syrup below.

Quick Christmas Cake decorations

Here’s a quick way to decorate your Christmas cake

1. Turn the cake out of the tin and flip it over so that the bottom is now the top. This will give you a smoother surface to decorate
2. Whip up a white frost icing. Add as much or as little of this as you like. It is a soft icing that dries so it is often better to just put it on the top of your cake.
3. Spread the icing over the top and sides of your cake if you like
4. I used a long length of liquorice around mine but the decorating is up to you. You can leave the sides free of icing.
5. This is now fully iced and has candy around the sides.
6. I finished with sprinkles. You could use any kind of Christmas decoration. You could even use flowers
7. Try these other quick Christmas recipes

If you love fruit try these recipes too:

Fruit Mince Crumble Slice

Fruit Mince Muffins

Fruit cake, Christmas cake, last minute

This is an easy "boiled" fruit cake. It's the best kind of last minute cake because there is no beating or slow adding of ingredients. It's a classic Mum recipe that works every time you need a last minute fruit cake hack!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Course Cake, Christmas

Cuisine Baking

Servings 24 serves

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg Mixed fruit this can include peel and cherries/2.2 lb
• 250 gm dates, dried chopped/8.8 oz
• 250 gm butter chopped/8.8 oz
• 275 gm brown sugar 1 1/4 cups/ 8.8oz
• 150 ml brandy or sherry 5.05 oz
• 150 ml juice orange and lemon
• 100 ml molasses (optional) or treacle, 3.4 oz, 1/3 Aus cup
• 1 lemon zest only (use juice above)
• 1 orange zest only (juice above)
• 4 eggs large
• 300 gm flour, plain or cake flour, 11 oz / 2 Aust cups
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon Mixed spice
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 150 gm nuts (optional) pecans or macadamias

White icing(optional)

• 2 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 420 gm icing sugar 3 cups/ 1 lb – just under

Syrup (optional)

• 100 ml brandy
• 200 gm caster sugar 6.8 fl oz
• 100 ml juice from the orange or lemon above 3.5 fl oz

Instructions

 

Fruit Cake

• Preheat the oven to 160C/ 320 F. Line a 23 cm (9.5 in) tin
• Use a medium to large pot and add the mixed fruit and chopped dates, sugar, butter, molasses, zest, juice, vanilla and brandy (or sherry). And nuts if using
• Turn the heat onto medium and stir until everything is melted together. Simmer for 2 minutes or until everything is shiny and nicely combined.
• Set aside for 10 minutes to cool down.
• Add 4 eggs straight into the pot on top of the fruit and stir to combine well
• Whisk together the flour, spices and baking powder and then stir this into the fruit egg mixture till combined
• Pour this into the cake tin. The baking time is about 3 hours. After the first and 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until just before the cake browns too much. Take out of the oven and cover with foil and cook for another hour (or so)
• Take out of the oven and let cool completely.

Syrup (optional)

• Put the brandy, water (or juice) and sugar into a pot and bring to a boil. Paint this onto the cake while it is in the tin and cooling. You will probably need to add approximately half of this syrup. This is optional.

White Icing (optional)

• Put the egg whites into a very clean bowl with the lemon juice and whip till light and frothy and starting to thicken. Start adding the sugar mixing well between additions until all the sugar is added
• Take the cooled cake from the tin and turn over so that the bottom is the top. Spread the white icing over the cake and decorate it. The icing will dry very quickly

Notes

Don’t simmer the fruit for a long time. The resulting juice/ sugar mixture forms part of the cake base. You don’t want to caramelise or cook it down too much. heat till all are well combined and no longer

Make sure that you let the fruit cool before adding the eggs.

The cake itself with out the icing will last for weeks as any fruit cake will. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to discourage any kind of mould. 

It will keep well out of the refrigerator for several days if it is eaten within that time

The icing will only last 2-3 days before it starts to break down. 

 

Keyword baking, christmas, dessert, seasonal

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