Love It Or Hate It - Dark Christmas Cake - Fruit Cake

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Nov. 20, 2018

This Dark Christmas Fruit Cake is a fruitcake lovers dream! So this stir it up Sunday, this is the Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe you should be making!

Ingredients

Candied pineapple 1 1/2 Cup (24 tbs) (375 mL)
Candied cherries 1 1/2 Cup (24 tbs) (375 mL)
Currants 2 Cup (32 tbs) (500 mL)
Candied peel 2 Cup (32 tbs) (500 mL)
Seedless raisins 1 1/2 Cup (24 tbs) (375 mL)
Brandy/Rum 1 Cup (16 tbs) (250 mL, or bourbon)
All purpose flour 2 Cup (32 tbs) (500 mL)
Baking powder 2 Teaspoon (10 mL)
Baking soda 1/2 Teaspoon (2 mL)
Salt 1/2 Teaspoon (2 mL)
Ground allspice 1/4 Teaspoon (1 mL)
Ground cloves 1/4 Teaspoon (1 mL)
Ground cinnamon 1 Teaspoon (5 mL)
Ground nutmeg 1/2 Teaspoon (2 mL)
Butter 180 Gram , softened (about 175 mL / ¾ cup)
Packed brown sugar 170 Gram (175 mL / ¾ cup)
Molasses 2 Tablespoon (30 mL)
Strawberry jam/Raspberry jam 1/4 Cup (4 tbs) (about 60 mL)
Eggs 5
Chopped walnuts/Chopped pecans 200 Gram (about 375 mL / 1½ cups)

Directions

GETTING READY:

1. Chop up the pineapple and cherries.

2. In a large bowl combine; pineapple, cherries, currants, raisins, mixed peel, and brandy; cover and leave on the counter for at least 24 hours, or up to a week; stirring occasionally.

3. Preheat oven to 150ºC (300°F).

4. Line base a 13" x 9" (3.5 L) metal cake pan with parchment paper.

MAKING:

5. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

6. In a really big bowl; cream together butter and sugar.

7. When butter/sugar is light and fluffy beat in molasses and jam.

8. Then beat in eggs, 1 at a time.

9. Stir in flour mixture just until incorporated.

10. Add fruit mixture and walnuts; stir to combine.

11. Transfer to the prepared pan, smoothing top.

12. Bake cake for 1:45 to 2 hours, until the cake tester inserted in centre, comes out clean but a little sticky.

13. You may need to lay a piece of tinfoil over top during baking if it browns too much.

14. Let cool in pan on rack.

15. Soak a double-thickness of cheesecloth in more brandy; wrap the cake in the cheesecloth and then wrap in plastic wrap.

16. Refrigerate for as long as you can before eating.

17. This will keep in the fridge/freezer almost indefinitely if wrapped carefully.

NOTES:

1. Switch up the dried and candied fruit for anything you're like to have in the cake - there is no 'right or wrong' way.

2. Switch up the alcohol of your choice for any that you prefer - or use apple/grape juice if you wish.

3. Fancy molasses gives a lighter flavour, but sometimes we'll use cooking or blackstrap. Sorghum or honey would also work.

Recipe Summary

Difficulty Level: Easy
Cook Time: 120 Minutes
Ready In: 120 Minutes
Servings: 8