spiced rum fruit cake
rating:A slight variation on the traditional fruitcake. The spiced rum, spices and particularly the ginger give it a bit of heat, ideal on a cold day!
This cake improves with time, it can be stored well wrapped in baking parchment and then foil for a couple of months.
For the Cake:
- 175g Unsalted Butter
- 175g Soft Brown Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 225g Plain Flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 200g Golden Sultanas
- 175g Chopped Glace Cherries
- 100g Chopped Dates
- 25g Chopped Dried Apricots
- 25g Copped Stem Ginger
- 50g Ground Almonds
- Grated rind of one lemon
- 4 tbsp spiced rum
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 160C/320F
Grease and line an 8" cake tin
Soak fruit and lemon zest in the rum.
Allow butter to soften for an hour at room temperature.
Method:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and gently mix together.
Sift flour, baking powder and spices into the mixture. Add ground almonds and fold the whole together.
Gently stir in the soaked fruit (and any liquid, it seems a shame to waste it!).
Transfer mixture to cake tin.
Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Insert a skewer through the centre of the cake to check that it is fully cooked.
Allow to cool for half an hour
Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
