Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour (or overnight) to soak the fruit
Bake time: 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
Cooling time: 1 hour
Total time: about 3½ hours (or overnight with soaking)
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert / Baking
Cuisine: British-inspired
Method: Oven
Equipment
- 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan, at least 3 inches (7.5 cm) deep, or a springform pan
- Parchment paper
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Large mixing bowl and spatula
- Small saucepan (for the glaze)
- Skewer or toothpick
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
For the fruit
- 2 cups (300 g) mixed dried fruit, such as raisins, sultanas, and currants
- ½ cup (100 g) glacé (candied) cherries, rinsed, dried, and quartered
- ¼ cup (40 g) mixed candied citrus peel
- ½ cup (45 g) unsweetened shredded or desiccated coconut
- ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice, or dark rum or brandy, for soaking
For the batter
- 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
For the glaze (optional)
- 3 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 tbsp water
Optional extras
- ½ cup (60 g) chopped walnuts or almonds
- ½ tsp ground ginger or allspice
- 1 tbsp molasses or treacle, for a darker, richer cake
Instructions
1. Soak the fruit. In a bowl, combine the raisins, mixed dried fruit, and candied peel with the orange juice or rum. Stir, cover, and let soak for at least 1 hour, or overnight for the juiciest result. Stir in the quartered cherries and coconut just before mixing the batter.
Tip: Rinse the glacé cherries under warm water and pat them thoroughly dry. This removes the sticky syrup so they don’t bleed color into the batter.
2. Prepare the oven and pan. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease the pan and line the base and sides with parchment paper, letting it rise about an inch above the rim.
3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale, light, and fluffy. This step builds the cake’s structure, so don’t rush it.
5. Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then add the vanilla and orange zest. If the batter looks curdled, add a spoonful of the flour and keep mixing.
6. Alternate flour and milk. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix gently until just combined. Overmixing makes the cake tough.
7. Fold in the fruit. Toss the soaked fruit mixture, including any remaining liquid, in a spoonful of flour so it doesn’t sink, then fold it into the batter with a spatula until evenly distributed. Fold in the nuts if using.
8. Fill the pan. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top and making a slight dip in the center so the cake bakes flat.
9. Bake. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too fast, cover loosely with foil after the first hour.
10. Cool. Let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out and cool completely on a wire rack. Don’t slice it warm, because the crumb needs time to set.
11. Glaze (optional). Warm the apricot jam and water in a small saucepan until runny, strain out any lumps, and brush it over the top for a glossy finish. Decorate with extra cherries or coconut if you like.
12. Slice and serve. Cut into 12 slices with a sharp serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion.
Recipe Notes and Tips
Soaking matters. Dried fruit is thirsty. If you add it dry, it pulls moisture from the batter and leaves a dry cake. Soaking plumps the fruit and keeps the crumb moist.
Keep the fruit from sinking. Tossing the fruit in a spoonful of flour and making sure the batter is thick, not runny, helps suspend it evenly.
Bake low and slow. A moderate oven lets the dense, fruit-heavy cake cook through before the outside overbrowns. If your oven runs hot, drop the temperature by 10 to 15°F.
Check for doneness properly. Because of the sticky fruit, a skewer may touch a raisin and look gummy. Test in a couple of spots and look for wet batter rather than sticky fruit.
The cake improves overnight. Flavors deepen and the texture becomes more moist and sliceable after resting wrapped for a day.
Don’t overfill the pan. The batter should come about two-thirds of the way up the pan to leave room to rise.
Choose good dried fruit. Plump, soft fruit gives the best flavor. If yours is hard, soak it longer or in warm liquid.
Variations
- Alcohol-free version: Soak the fruit in orange juice, apple juice, or strong black tea instead of rum or brandy.
- Boozy Christmas version: Soak in dark rum, brandy, or sherry, then brush the baked cake with 2 tbsp more every few days if storing it for a week or more.
- Nutty version: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend and add ½ tsp xanthan gum if it doesn’t already contain it.
- Dairy-free: Replace the butter with a firm plant-based baking block and the milk with oat or almond milk.
- Loaf version: Bake in a lined 9×5-inch loaf pan for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
- Mini cakes or muffins: Fill lined muffin cups two-thirds full and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 22 to 28 minutes.
- Tropical version: Replace half the dried fruit with chopped dried pineapple, mango, and papaya.
Troubleshooting
- The fruit sank to the bottom. The batter was too thin or the fruit was too wet. Pat the fruit dry, toss it in flour, and make sure the batter is thick.
- The cake is dry. It was overbaked or the fruit wasn’t soaked. Check for doneness earlier, and soak the fruit well.
- The top is too dark. Cover loosely with foil partway through baking.
- The center is raw. The oven was too hot, or the pan was too small. Lower the temperature and extend the bake time.
- The cake is heavy and dense. The butter and sugar weren’t creamed long enough, or the batter was overmixed after adding the flour.
- The cake cracked on top. A crack is normal in dense fruit cakes. A slight dip in the center before baking helps.
- The cherries bled color. Rinse and dry them thoroughly before adding.
What to Serve With It
- A hot cup of tea or coffee
- A dollop of whipped cream or mascarpone
- Warm custard
- A slice of sharp cheddar, a classic pairing
- Vanilla ice cream
- A drizzle of warm brandy sauce
Storage
Room temperature: Wrap tightly in parchment and foil, or store in an airtight tin, for up to 1 week.
Refrigerate: Keep for up to 2 weeks if the cake was made without a glaze.
Freeze: Wrap whole or sliced cake in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Gifting: Wrap in parchment, tie with twine, and add a tag with storage instructions.
Nutrition (Estimated, Per Slice, Based on 12 Slices)
- Calories: about 340
- Protein: about 4 g
- Carbohydrates: about 53 g
- Sugar: about 33 g
- Fat: about 13 g
- Fiber: about 2 g