Volume 51 Issue 12 - December 2013 : Others
Light Christmas Fruit Cake
Author : Stella Ngwako
Cooking time: +/- 1 Hour 30 Minutes
​Ingredients
225g plain flower
175g sugar
175g butter
225g raisins
110g sultanas
1 cooking apple (peeled and grated)
50g walnuts (chopped)
110g glace cherries
1 orange zest
2 medium eggs
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon mixed spice
*Use a 20cm lined round cake tin
​
​Cooking Method
1. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice into one bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, (using a wooden spoon or electric mixer) beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Add one egg at a time to the creamed butter and sugar. Meanwhile, Alternate egg mixing with a spoon of flour to prevent the mixture from congealing.
4. Fold in the rest of flour mixture and stir until all ingredients are mixed well.
5. Then, add the orange zest and dried fruit into the mixture.
6. Add the cooking apple and walnuts into the mixture and stir.
7. Spoon the mixture into a lined and greased cake tin and level the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
8. Place glace cherries on top, pushing them gently into the mixture
9. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (in a pre-heated oven at 180˚C) or until you can insert a table knife/skewer into the centre of the cake and it comes out clean. Please do not open the oven often as it may affect baking temperatures and affect the outcome of your cake.
10. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
11. Allow the cake to cool completely before decorating. ENDS