This recipe was given to me by my good friend Lindy many years ago. This is one of the few cakes I have made over the years before I started the cake project to become a cake cook.
While traditional in style it’s a light/golden fruitcake but still has the feel of the old fashion cake about it. Maybe it the sherry! I make this as a square cake as it fits on my Nana’s cake stand and seems traditional to me. Use a round tin if you don’t have a small square tin.
Boiled Fruitcake – Thermomix method
Makes one 15 cm round cake or 13 cm square cake
- Prep Time: 50 minutes including cooling
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minuets
- Yield: 8 slices
Ingredients
Peel of one lemon, white part only
40 g light brown sugar
60 g seedless raisins
50 g currents
40 g sultanas
120 g unsalted butter, diced
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp ground mix spice
50 g sherry
40 g water
1 egg
140 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
15–20 nuts to decorate (pecans, walnut halves, blanched almonds)
1 tbsp smooth apricot jam for glazing once baked
Instructions
Preheat oven to 150°C non-fan (130 °C fan-forced).
Grease and line13 cm square tin or 15 cm round tin and set aside.
Place sugar and lemon peel into mixing bowl, mill 5 sec/speed 10.
Add dried fruits, unsalted butter, bicarb, spice mix, sherry and water. Cook 10 mins 100 C/Reverse/speed 1.
Allow to cool in the bowl for 30-40 minutes (I put the bowl in the fridge. I have forgotten about it often. I once left it the for a few days and all was good well. The flavour was wonderfully enhanced with the extra soaking time.)
When the mixture is cool add flour and egg, mix 15 sec / reverse /speed 3.
Pour into prepared tin and level. Decorate the top with nuts.
Place in preheated oven and bake 50 -60 minutes. Check after 45 minutes.
The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Brush top with a little apricot jam to glaze top while still in tin and cake is hot. Cool in the cake tin for 15 minutes then turn onto a rack to completely cool.
Keywords: Thermomix fruitcake, traditional fruitcake, boilded fruitcake, small batch cooking, Christmas cake -Thermomix
Boiled Fruitcake – Conventional method
This is how to make this beautiful cake conventionally.
The recipe makes one 15 cm round cake or 13 cm square cake.
- Prep Time: 60 mins including cooling
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 slices
- Category: fruitcakes
- Method: conventional
- Cuisine: Australian/English
Ingredients
Zest of one lemon, yellow part only
40 g light brown sugar
60 g seedless raisins
50 g currants
40 g sultanas
120 g unsalted butter, diced
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
50 g sherry
40 g water
1 egg, at room temperature
140 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
15–20 nuts to decorate (pecans, walnut halves, blanched almonds)
1 tablespoon smooth apricot jam for glazing, once baked
Instructions
Preheat oven to 150°C non-fan (130°C fan-forced). Grease and line 15 cm round tin or a 13 cm square tin and set aside.
Place lemon zest, sugar, dried fruits, butter, bicarbonate of soda, spice mix, sherry and water in a saucepan and cook 10 minutes on medium heat. Take off heat and transfer mixture to a bowl.
Allow to cool in the bowl for 30-40 minutes (I put the bowl in the fridge. I have forgotten about it often, and once left it there for a few days, and all was fine. The flavour was wonderfully enhanced with the extra soaking time.)
When the mixture is cool, add egg, flour and baking powder, and mix until just incorporated.
Pour into prepared tin and level. Decorate the top with nuts.
Place in preheated oven and bake 50-60 minutes. Check after 45 minutes. Cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Brush top with a little apricot jam to glaze while the cake is hot and still in the tin. Cool in the cake tin for 15 minutes then turn onto a rack to completely cool.
Keywords: boiled fruit cake, traditional light fruitcake, Christmas cake, cake for one, small batch baking