Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and salt. Mix gently until the batter is smooth and you can no longer see dry flour.
Do not beat it hard at this stage. Overworked flour makes a tough, rubbery crumb.
Step 7: Add the cooled fruit and nuts
Tip in the cooled fruit along with any juice left in the pan, and the chopped nuts. Fold everything through until the fruit is evenly spread.
The batter will be thick. That is correct — a loose batter lets the fruit sink.
Step 8: Bake low and slow
Spoon the batter into the lined tin and level the top with the back of a spoon. Make a very slight dip in the centre so the cake rises flat.
Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Start checking at the 2-hour mark: a skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean, with no wet batter on it. If the top is browning too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it after about 90 minutes.
Step 9: Cool it completely
Leave the cake in its tin until it is completely cold, about 2 hours. It is fragile while it is warm and it will break if you rush it.
Once cold, lift it out, peel off the paper and wrap it well if you are not serving it the same day.
Nutritional Information
Per slice, based on 16 slices and the ingredients listed, including the optional molasses. These are estimates, not laboratory values.
| Nutrient | Per slice |
|---|---|
| Calories | 355 kcal |
| Total fat | 16 g |
| Saturated fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Sugars | 33 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Sodium | 60 mg |
Most of the sugar comes from the dried fruit itself, not only the added brown sugar. Cutting the cake into 20 thinner slices brings it to about 285 kcal each.
Tips for Perfect Alcohol Free Christmas Cake
Let the fruit cool properly. Fifteen minutes is not enough. If the fruit is even slightly warm it will soften the butter and the batter will split.
Toss the fruit in a spoonful of the flour. It gives the pieces something to grip and stops them sinking to the bottom during a long bake.
Line the tin higher than the rim. Two hours is a long time in an oven. Paper standing a couple of centimetres above the tin shields the top edge.
Check at two hours, not before. Opening the door early drops the temperature and can sink the middle. From 2 hours, test with a skewer every ten minutes.
A damp skewer means more time. Crumbs are fine. Wet batter is not. A dense fruit cake can take the full 2 1/2 hours.
Brush it with warm orange juice. Once the cake is cold, a tablespoon or two brushed over the top adds moisture back and keeps it fresher for longer.
Bake it a week early if you can. This cake improves for several days as the spices settle, the same way our Yum Yum Cake does.
Variations
- Apple juice or strong tea. Both work in place of the orange juice. Tea gives a darker, less sweet cake.
- Loaf tins. Divide the batter between two 1 lb loaf tins and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Good for gifting.
- Nut-free. Leave the nuts out and add another 60 g of dried fruit. Check the labels on your dried fruit for nut warnings.
- Darker and richer. Use dark brown sugar instead of light, and keep the molasses in.
- Tropical. Dried mango, pineapple and papaya with lime zest instead of orange.
- Marzipan and icing. Brush the cooled cake with warmed apricot jam, cover with marzipan, let it dry for a day, then ice.
- Mini cakes. Six individual tins, 45 to 55 minutes at the same temperature.
More baking ideas are in our Food category.
How to Store
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