Rustic Fruit & Nut Tea Cake
Over a year ago
8,039 views
Ingredients
- (ingredient)
- 4oz Soft Brown Sugar
- 4oz Plain Flour
- 5oz Coarse Wholemeal Strong Flour
- 1 Pinch of Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1.5 Tablespoon Mixed Spice
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- (ingredient)
- 4oz Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Fine Cut Orange Marmalade
- 2 Beaten Eggs
- (ingredient)
- 1 Pound Sultanas
- 3oz Walnuts Halves
- 3oz Glace Cherries
- (ingredient)
- 1 Teaspoon Natural Orange Essence
- 2 Tablespoons Rum or Rum Essence
- 1 Tablespoon Natural Vanilla Essence
Accompaniment
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Description
Recipe is easy, takes less than 90 minutes to bake, every mouthful is different & it's addictive!It's fruity and nutty and just gorgeous! Try it today! Go on, you know you want to!
Method
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1
**PREHEAT OVEN TO 165 Celsius & butter grease a 2lb loaf tin or medium size pyrex dish**
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2
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy.
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3
Add the orange, rum and vanilla essence to the beaten egg and add to the blended butter and sugar mix.
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4
Now add in the fruit and nuts! Lower the speed of your mixer to medium and mix for 2 minutes and stop.
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5
In a separate bowl, sieve the plain flour, baking powder, salt and spices and give it a stir around, now add the wholemeal flour and stir it again.
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6
Start your mixer again, and using a tablespoon begin to fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
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7
If you feel the mixture is a little stiff, then add a couple of tablespoons of milk and mix again.
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8
Spoon out the mixture into your buttered dish and place on the middle shelf in the oven.
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9
Set your oven timer for 30 minutes and check how it's coming along!
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10
Set your oven time for another 30 minutes and then check it and if it's beginning to burn, place some greaseproof paper over the top, resting a stainless steel knife or spoon on top.
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11
Set your oven for another 15 minutes and have a little peep as to how your cake is coming along and then proceed with the skewer test! Replace the greaseproof paper back on the cake and close the oven door!
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12
Now raise the temperature of your oven to 170 Celsius for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.
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13
After you've tested the cake with a skewer and it comes out clean, it's time to remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a wire tray to cool.
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14
Fruit cakes sometimes take a bit longer to cool than sponge or madeira cakes on account of the fruit, so let it rest for about 3 hours or so before slicing it up and smothering it with butter and enjoying it with a nice cup of tea!
*This is an original recipe by L.Shannon, The Candlebridge Bakery, Ireland, 2009 Recipe*
Chef's Tips
Well, I tend to add natural vanilla essence to a lot of the cakes and pastries that I make...shush..don't tell anyone, but vanilla is an amazing sweetener that gives recipe the little magic that some desire!
If you don't have orange essence, which I got in the local supermarket, then don't despair, you could always try orange juice.
If you're not partial to orange, then try lemon juice but instead of using cinnamon, substitute it for ginger, because lemon and ginger are a match made in heaven!
This recipe of mine would also make a lovely alternative for those of you who find the Christmas cake too heavy. Ready made marzipan and icings are available in supermarkets, so think about it.. make your own fruit cake, it has less ingredients than the Christmas cake, doesn't take up too much time cooking, so that's economical and when you have it all iced, get a big red satin ribbon and tie it up and you'll find lovely festive decorations to dress your Christmas cake up.. but have fun, baking is fun!
Best wishes from The Candlebridge Bakery, Ireland.
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