How To Moisten Bought Fruit Cake

This fruit block is rich, moist and tastes amazing. An easy fruit cake recipe that uses soaked unsweetened fruit and nut mix. Skip the liquor for a family unit-friendly version! Perfect for gifting and feasting well beyond the holiday season!

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It's an exciting time of the year as the holidays arroyo, especially for those of usa who love baking upwards Christmas treats and all the merry feasting that follows.

With just 5 weeks to Christmas, everybody, that means information technology's time for fruit cakes!

Now, I know lots of folks might consider November a little too late to be making skilful fruit cake. But let me just say, you lot tin brand a fabled fruit cake y'all'll be proud of, even at this time!

You'll have more than than plenty fourth dimension to soak your favourite fruits and bake up this delicious fruit cake.

And if y'all love your cake a tad boozy, as I do, y'all'll have at to the lowest degree a month to age it with liquor once a week till Christmas. This mode, your fruit block keeps moist as its flavour deepens and mellows.

Rich & Moist Fruit Cake

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This fruit cake is fabricated deliberately less sugariness, but extra moist and brimming full with a homemade fruit and nut mix.

For a family-friendly version, replace the soaking liquor with apple cider, unsweetened apple or orange juice, and skip moistening with alcohol.

If yous're like me and tin't recollect of making a fruit cake likewise early in the year, then this fruit cake recipe is meant for you! I hope y'all'll enjoy this as much as we do!

• Uses dried fruits soaked in rum (or unsweetened apple tree juice). It's really important to soak your fruit mix so that they soften and plump up. This way, they'll stay moist and juicy and won't absorb moisture from the cake batter during baking, ensuring that your cake stays moist. Bonus! Domicile soaked fruits taste amazing, and you'll be ridding your fruit mix of excess sugar likewise!

• Bakes in a water bathroom. The steam that arises from a water bath during baking will ensure the fruit cake doesn't dry out during the long baking fourth dimension. And its super easy to prepare. When you're gear up to preheat the oven, place a tray on the bottom of the oven and fill up information technology with hot h2o. That's information technology!

• Recipe ingredient ratios turns out a moist cake. The ratio of butter and brown sugar to flour in this recipe ensures a moist, firm and buttery crumb.

Fruit cake ingredients

• Home-fabricated fruit mix. This is the fun part! You tin can alter up your fruit mix as you like, but just make sure that you stick to the total weight equally specified in the recipe. I used golden raisins, currants, apricots, prunes, slippery cherries, and mixed citrus peel.

• Liquor or juice for soaking. I like to apply a mixture of rum and brandy, but experience complimentary to employ dry out white wine, whiskey, or mildly flavoured liquors. For a non-boozy cake, use unsweetened apple tree or orange juice.

• Basics. I love walnuts, simply you tin change that up for pecans, cashews or other nuts.

• Spices. At that place's just enough to infuse the block with the warmth and flavour of mixed spices, without overpowering the fruity notes in the cake. I particularly love the combination of ground mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

• Brown sugar. Chocolate-brown sugar is moisture-loaded and contributes to a moist fruit cake. It also imparts a lovely molassey season.

• Aureate syrup. Golden syrup is added hither for it'south mild buttery flavor (though it contains no butter) and being made of sugar, adds wet as well. If you can't get your easily on gold syrup, utilise dear, corn or maple syrup, but notation that each has its inherent flavour. Light treacle will also practice, though it volition darken the cake a flake and is more than bitter-sweet.

• Butter. I apply unsalted. To ensure a lite cake concoction, have the butter slightly softened at room temperature. But not too warm, every bit information technology won't cream and comprise air as well when it'south greasy.

• Flour. Employ patently or all-purpose. Sift the flour, baking pulverisation and spices together iii (3x) times, to ensure an even rise during baking.

• Eggs. Apply big eggs, wherever possible, near 60 grams each.

• Baking powder. This is the leavening amanuensis that helps the cake rise.

• Milk. I use full cream milk.

• Sugariness rum. This is rum sweetened from soaking the stale fruits. If using apple tree or orangish juice for soaking, utilise this in equal amount.

Moist fruit cake in 3 easy steps

• Make and soak the fruit mix, leave overnight but preferably 3 to 5 days for deeper flavour
• Bake the fruit block
• Brush the cake with liquor, once or twice weekly (skip this if yous don't intend to keep till Christmas)

Step 1. Make and soak the dried fruit mix

• Ideally, your dried fruits should be more than or less of like size. Cut upwardly larger dried fruit similar figs, apricots, prunes and dates into roughly the same size as the smaller fruit.

• Combine in a glass bowl. Pour in plenty liquor (I used rum and brandy) or juice to cover all the fruit. Requite information technology a couple of stirs to ensure all the fruit is soaked. Embrace tightly with clingwrap or transfer to a suitable drinking glass jar with an air-tight lid.

• Let it soak overnight at room temperature, or preferably for 3 to 5 days. The fruit will absorb quite a bit of liquid overnight, so you may need to top up a bit more than to cover the fruit. Fruit mix soaked in juice will need to sit down in the chiller.

Pace 2. Broil the fruit cake

• Pre-estrus oven to 150°C (300°F). Set the oven rack in the centre of the oven. Grease the base and sides of a ix x five″ loaf pan. Line the base of operations and sides with baking newspaper, allowing for ii inches of overhang. Prepare the water bath. Prepare a tray on the bottom of the oven. Carefully pour in enough hot water to fill the pan ½-inch or 1-cm deep.

• Sift the flour, baking powder and ground spices three (3x) times.

• In a stand mixer basin, combine butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed (speed 3 to 4 on my Kitchen Aid mixer) until light and fluffy, virtually 5 minutes.

• Add together the eggs ane at a time, beating well after each improver. The concoction should still feel light and fluffy.

• Reduce the mixer speed to low, and fold in the sifted flour-spice mixture in three additions. Each time, fold just until the flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter, and in that location aren't whatsoever streaks of flour left.

• Tip in the sweet rum, golden syrup and milk, and trounce until well mixed. At this betoken, the batter should wait smooth and have a compatible consistency throughout.

• Lastly, fold in the fruit mix (drained) and basics. It will exist very chunky! Don't be alarmed. It might seem like at that place'due south too much fruit for the batter but trust me, at that place's plenty! Make sure all the fruits and nuts are fully coated in batter.

• Tip out the block batter into the prepared pan. Spread information technology with a spatula to fill and cover all the corners and edges. Smoothen the surface.

• Place the filled block pan on the oven rack. Bake at the low temperature of 150°C (300°F) for 2 to two½ hours, or until washed. Baking times will vary depending on the pan used, as well as the internal oven temperature.

• When done blistering, remove from the oven. Let information technology cool in the pan on a metal rack.

Step 3. Maturing the cake with liquor/booze (optional)

• Once the cake has cooled, castor generously with 2 tbsp brandy or selection of liquor. Wrap and seal in several layers of cling wrap, and go along in an air-tight container. Place in a cool, dry out and dark space like a pantry cupboard.

• Once a calendar week, or every 4 to five days, brush the cake with liquor to go on information technology moist and extend its shelf life. With a pastry brush, brush 1 – 2 tablespoons of rum or brandy all over the surface and sides of the cake.

Useful Tips

Tin can I utilize a fruit pre-mix instead of making my own?

Yes, yous absolutely can! The quantity of the pre-mix should not exceed the total quantity of the individual dried fruits, past weight.

Different brands of pre-mixed fruit tin can vary in sugar content. Some tin be cloyingly sweet. You should all the same macerate the fruit pre-mix in liquor or juice to soften and moisten them, as well as to rid of excess sugar.

What constitutes a proficient homemade fruit mix?

When making your own fruit mix, try to strike a practiced balance betwixt sweet-tasting stale fruit and tart ones.

Choose from the wide diversity of unsweetened stale fruit like currants, raisins, golden raisins or sultanas, dried cranberries, crystallised ginger, dried blueberries, figs, apricots, prunes, and dates.

For nuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews are popular choices.

However, keep bitter-tasting citrus peel to a minimum, as also much can be unpleasant to taste.

How long can homemade fruit mix keep?

If soaked in rum, the fruit mix will proceed well in a absurd, nighttime and dry infinite for upward to 6 months. With juice-soaked fruit, it needs to exist stored in the chiller and used inside v days.

To keep well, make certain the fruit is covered in thesoaking liquid. Give the liquor-soaked fruit mix the occasional stir one time every couple of weeks.

How do I store fruit cake?

One time completely cooled, wrap the fruit cake in several layers of cling wrap and place in an air-tight container. Identify in a cool, dark and dry area of the kitchen similar a pantry.

Fruit cakes anile with liquor tin can go on well for up to 6 months or longer. Fruit cakes without liquor will keep for up to v days.

Can I freeze fruit cake?

Once the block is completely cooled, wrap in several layers of cling wrap to seal it well, and then in aluminum foil. I even put my fruit cake in a freezer bag after all this wrapping, because I'm super obsessive well-nigh avoiding freezer fire!

Store in the freezer for up to half-dozen months. Thaw in the chiller overnight, then unwrap, and bring to room temperature when you're gear up to savor information technology!

Tin I broil in different cake pans?

I baked this as a 9 10 5-inch loaf cake, merely you lot tin can always bake in round or square pans, besides as mini loaf pans. Line the pans with blistering paper, and with a generous overhang to facilitate cake release. Carry in mind that baking times will vary, depending on the size of the pan you use.

Don't delay and become to baking your best always fruit block at present! Give this gift of a bootleg fruit cake to your loved ones this Christmas! – ♥ Celia

Hither are more delicious cakes to inspire your next bake:

• Super Moist Rum and Raisin Banana Bread
• Fig and Ruby Cake
• Extra Moist Coffee Walnut Block with Coffee Coat
• Indonesian Prune Layer Cake (Prune Lapis Block)
• Super Moist and Tender Carrot Cake
• Traditional Indonesian Layer Cake (Thousand Layer Spice Cake/ Kue Lapis Legit)

How to Make a Rich & Moist Fruit Cake

An easy fruit cake recipe that uses soaked unsweetened fruit and nut mix. Skip the liquor for a family unit-friendly version!

Melt Way Prevent your screen from going nighttime

Prep Time 30 mins

Melt Time 2 hrs 30 mins

Total Fourth dimension 3 hrs

Course Cake Recipes

Cuisine Western

For the fruit mix (soak overnight):

• ▢ 100 g stale apricots
• ▢ 100 g dried prunes
• ▢ 100 yard currants
• ▢ 75 g golden raisins
• ▢ fifty g glace candied cherries
• ▢ 50 k mixed citrus peel
• ▢ 2 – two½ cups of rum or unsweetened apple/orange juice, as needed

For the cake batter

• ▢ Fruit mix drained (reserve soaking liquid)
• ▢ 200 1000 plain flour
• ▢ 2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ i½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp basis allspice
• ▢ i tsp ground ginger
• ▢ ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ▢ 175 thou unsalted butter softened at room temperature
• ▢ 200 g brown sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 tbsp golden syrup
• ▢ i tbsp milk
• ▢ 3 tbsp sweetness rum or fruit juice from reserved soaking liquid
• ▢ 100 g walnuts chopped

For maturing the fruit cake (optional):

• ▢ 1 – 2 tbsp brandy or choice of liquor per brushing

Make and soak the fruit mix:

• Cut up larger dried fruit into roughly the same size every bit the smaller fruit. Combine in a glass bowl.

• Pour in enough rum (or juice) to embrace all the fruit. Stir to moisten all the fruit.

• Cover tightly with clingwrap or transfer to a suitable glass jar with an air-tight lid.

• Leave overnight to soak at room temperature, or iii – 5 days for deeper flavour. Note: Fruit mix soaked in juice will need to be placed in the chiller.

• When preparing to bake the fruit block, drain the fruit mix, and reserve 3 tbsp of the soaking rum or juice.

Broil the fruit cake:

• Pre-heat oven to 150°C (300°F). Gear up the oven rack in the center of the oven. Place a tray of hot water on the bottom of the oven. Line a 9 x five" loaf pan with baking paper with a 2-inch overhang, and grease.

• Sift the flour, baking powder and ground spices three times (3x).

• Using a stand up mixer or hand-held beater, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until calorie-free and fluffy, about five mins.

• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.

• Reduce the mixer speed to low. Fold the sifted flour mixture into the butter mixture in three batches, until well combined.

• Fold in the syrup, milk and sweetness rum (or juice) until well combined. At this betoken, the batter should be smooth, thick and of uniform consistency throughout.

• Lastly, fold in the fruit mix (drained) and chopped walnuts by hand. Don't be alarmed, it volition be very chunky! Make sure all the fruits and nuts are fully coated in concoction.

• Open up the oven door SLOWLY from the side (and not standing in front) as hot steam volition escape. Broil in water bath at 150°C (300°F) for 2 – 2½ hours, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil when the pinnacle is aureate to preclude over-browning.

• When washed, allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack.

To store and age the fruit cake:

• In one case the block has cooled, brush generously with two tbsp brandy or choice of liquor.

• Wrap and seal in several layers of cling wrap, and keep in an air-tight container. Place in a cool, dry out and nighttime space like a pantry closet.

• In one case a week, brush the top and sides of the block with 2 tbsp brandy to moisten and keep well. Re-wrap and seal tightly. Do this every calendar week until Christmas, for a moist and richly flavoured cake.

Can I utilise a fruit pre-mix instead of making my own?

Yes, you absolutely can! The quantity of the pre-mix should non exceed the full quantity of the individual stale fruits, by weight.

Unlike brands of pre-mixed fruit can vary in sugar content. Some can be cloyingly sweetness. You should all the same macerate the fruit pre-mix in liquor or juice to soften and moisten them, too as to rid of excess sugar.

What constitutes a good homemade fruit mix?

When making your ain fruit mix, try to strike a skillful remainder between sugariness-tasting dried fruit and tart ones.

Choose from the broad diverseness of unsweetened stale fruit like currants, raisins, golden raisins or sultanas, dried cranberries, crystallised ginger, dried blueberries, figs, apricots, prunes, and dates.

For nuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews are popular choices.

However, proceed bitter-tasting citrus peel to a minimum, as likewise much can be unpleasant to taste.

How long tin can homemade fruit mix keep?

If soaked in rum, the fruit mix will go on well in a absurd, dark and dry infinite for upwardly to 6 months. With juice-soaked fruit, it needs to be stored in the chiller and used within 5 days.

To keep well, brand certain the fruit is covered in the soaking liquid. Give the liquor-soaked fruit mix the occasional stir once every couple of weeks.

How do I store fruit cake?

Once completely cooled, wrap the fruit block in several layers of cling wrap and place in an air-tight container. Identify in a cool, night and dry area of the kitchen like a pantry.

Fruit cakes aged with liquor can proceed well for upward to vi months or longer. Fruit cakes without liquor will keep for up to 5 days.

Tin I broil in different cake pans?

I baked this as a 9 10 5-inch loaf block, but y'all can always bake in circular or square pans, likewise as mini loaf pans. Line the pans with baking newspaper, and with a generous overhang to facilitate cake release. Bear in mind that baking times volition vary, depending on the size of the pan you apply.

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 590 kcal Carbohydrates: 59 g Protein: v g Fat: eighteen g Saturated Fatty: viii g Polyunsaturated Fat: nine chiliad Cholesterol: 62 mg Sodium: 117 mg Fiber: 4 thou Sugar: 38 one thousand

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