Name: 1950s old-fashioned fruit cake recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 200 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 500g mixed fruit; 1/2 cup brandy; 200g butter, softened; 1/2 cup caster sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla essence; 2 cups self-raising flour; 2 tsp mixed spice; Pecans, to decorate; Glace cherries, to decorate

by Greer Worsley Last updated on 11/29/2021

Bake this old-fashioned fruit cake and package it up in a Christmas tin for gifting this festive season. - Greer Worsley

Ingredients

500g mixed fruit
1/2 cup brandy
200g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups self-raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
Pecans, to decorate
Glace cherries, to decorate

Method

Step 1

Combine mixed fruit with brandy and leave in a bowl, covered, to soak overnight.
Step 2

Preheat oven to 140C. Place a baking tray filled with water in the base of the oven. Line a 20cm ring tin with baking paper. You can create a ring tin by placing a metal dariole mould in the centre of a 20cm spring form tin, and covering it with baking paper.
Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer or using hand-held beaters, cream butter and sugars until pale. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in vanilla, then fold through flour and mixed spice, then the soaked fruit, including any liquid. Carefully spoon into prepared tin and smooth the top. Cover with foil and place in the oven on a rack above the water-filled tray.
Step 4

Cook for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and arrange pecans and glace cherries around the top. Cover and return to the oven for a further 2 hours. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes to brown up the top.