Description
Grandma’s classic holiday cake blends cherished family memories with festive spices and rich textures. Warm cinnamon and nutmeg create a comforting dessert you’ll treasure during seasonal celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 850 g (30 oz) mixed dried fruit (sultanas, raisins, cranberries, apricots, mixed peel)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) glace cherries, chopped
- 235 g (8.3 oz) butter or baking spread, softened and unsalted
- 235 g (8.3 oz) dark brown soft sugar
- 235 g (8.3 oz) plain flour
- 100 g (3.5 oz) ground almonds
- 4 large eggs
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) brandy
- 2 tbsps brandy (for after baking)
- 1 tbsp cointreau (optional; can be substituted with brandy)
- 1 tbsp kirsch (optional; can be substituted with brandy)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsps mixed spice
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Macerate Fruits: Combine dried fruits with brandy, Cointreau, and Kirsch in a mixing bowl, ensuring complete liquor coverage. Let the mixture marinate overnight to absorb the rich, aromatic liquid essence.
- Prepare Pan and Oven: Preheat the oven to 120C. Meticulously line an 8-inch deep cake tin with double parchment paper and butter, creating a protective barrier for the delicate cake.
- Create Creamy Base: Whisk softened butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually incorporate eggs and vanilla extract, blending each addition smoothly into the mixture.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Gently fold flour, ground almonds, baking powder, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves into the creamy base, maintaining a delicate texture.
- Finalize Batter: Integrate the alcohol-soaked fruit mixture and chopped glace cherries, stirring carefully to distribute ingredients evenly. Transfer to the prepared tin, smoothing the surface with precision.
- Bake and Enhance: Bake for approximately 3 ½ hours until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Immediately after removing from the oven, pierce the cake’s surface and drizzle additional brandy, allowing the liquid to permeate the warm cake.
- Cool and Mature: Let the cake cool completely within the tin, allowing flavors to develop and intensify, creating a rich, moist holiday delicacy.
Notes
- Marinate Fruits Strategically: Allow dried fruits to soak overnight in alcohol for maximum flavor absorption and richness, creating a more intense and complex taste profile.
- Prepare Baking Tin Carefully: Double-line the cake tin with parchment paper to prevent burning and ensure easy cake removal, protecting the delicate cake edges from excessive heat.
- Monitor Baking Time Precisely: Check cake doneness using the skewer test, inserting it into the center and ensuring it comes out clean, which indicates perfect internal moisture and baking completion.
- Enhance Moisture Post-Baking: Puncture warm cake surface and drizzle additional brandy to create a deeper, more intense flavor and maintain exceptional moisture throughout the cake’s texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 391
- Sugar: 45 g
- Sodium: 48 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 62 mg