This cake is almost to good to be true – no soaking of fruit overnight, no baking for 4 hours or more. It is so quick and easy to make, you won’t believe it! But the proof is in the pudding! Be sure to also try Carolie de Koster’s Microwave Fruit Cake or Dessert.
250 g fruit cake mix
50 g citrus peel, finely chopped
50 g glace cherries, finely chopped
50 g flaked almonds
100 g brown sugar, e.g. treacle or demerara
100 g butter
125 ml orange juice
5 ml brandy essence (substitute with vanilla or almond essence if you like)
2.5 ml mixed spice
180 ml cake flour
5 ml bicarb of soda
1 extra-large egg
125 ml milk
To garnish and serve
50 to 100 ml brandy
icing sugar
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 ℃ and line a medium bread pan (19 cm x 9 cm x 5 cm) with a 1,25 liter capacity with baking paper and grease it with non-stick cooking spray. Set it aside.
- Combine the fruit cake mix, citrus peel, glace cherries, almonds, sugar, butter, orange juice, brandy essence and mixed spice in a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring.
- Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set the saucepan aside.
- Add the cake flour and bicarb of soda to the fruit mixture and mix well.
- Combine the egg and milk in a measuring jug and whisk it with a fork until combined.
- Add the milk mixture to the fruit mixture and mix well.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared bread pan and level the top.
- Bake the cake for 30 minutes or until set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Transfer the cake to a cooling rack, remove the baking paper and set aside to cool completely.
- Transfer the cake to a serving platter and drizzle with brandy (optional) and dust with icing sugar before serving or store it in an airtight container until ready to serve.
6 to 8 servings.
Notes
The recipe can easily be doubled. Use a larger bread pan (about 28 cm x 11 cm x 6,5 cm) or oven-proof dish with a 2,25 litre capacity.