Spiced Fruit Cake Mix (Printable)
A moist cake blended with dried fruits and warming cinnamon and ginger spices.
# What You Need:
→ Dried Fruits
01 - 1 cup raisins
02 - ¾ cup currants
03 - ¾ cup chopped dried apricots
04 - ½ cup chopped candied orange peel
05 - ⅓ cup dried cranberries
→ Nuts
06 - ¾ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
→ Liquid
07 - ⅔ cup dark rum or orange juice
→ Cake Base
08 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - 1 cup dark brown sugar
10 - 4 large eggs
11 - 2 cups plain flour
12 - 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
13 - ½ teaspoon salt
→ Spices
14 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
15 - 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
16 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
17 - ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
18 - ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
→ Other
19 - Zest of 1 orange
20 - Zest of 1 lemon
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - Combine all dried fruits, candied peel, and nuts in a bowl. Pour over rum or orange juice, mix well, and soak for at least 30 minutes or overnight for best flavor development.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and dark brown sugar with an electric mixer or wooden spoon until light and fluffy.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition to ensure even distribution.
05 - Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and all spices into a separate bowl.
06 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
07 - Fold in the soaked fruits along with any remaining liquid, and add orange and lemon zest, stirring gently until evenly distributed.
08 - Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface evenly.
09 - Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted at the center comes out clean.
10 - Allow cake to cool completely in the pan before removing. Wrap in parchment and foil to maintain moisture.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The cake stays incredibly moist for days, actually improving as the spices meld and deepen.
- You can make it weeks ahead and feed it with rum, turning it into a showstopper without last minute stress.
- It fills your kitchen with the kind of warmth that makes everyone wander in asking what smells so good.
02 -
- Don't rush the soaking step, dry fruit in a baked cake is a sad thing, let them drink up the liquid properly.
- If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil halfway through baking.
- Let the cake cool fully before slicing or it'll crumble, patience really does pay off here.
03 -
- Toss the dried fruit in a tablespoon of flour before folding it in, this stops it from sinking to the bottom during baking.
- Use a cake strip or wrap the outside of the tin in damp newspaper to keep the edges from overbaking while the center cooks through.
- For a festive finish, brush the top with warmed apricot jam and arrange whole blanched almonds in a pattern before baking.