Ingredients:
For the dried fruits:
300 grams raisins
150 grams dried apricots
75 grams mixed peel
150 grams glace cherries
180 grams dates
⅓ cup of brandy
⅔ cup of apple juice
For the cake:
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp golden syrup
½ tsp salt
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp baking powder
1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup walnuts (chopped)
3 eggs
Directions:
In a microwavable container, place the chopped dried fruits, brandy, and juice. Microwave for around 1-2 minutes or until hot. Stir the mixture to coat all the dried fruit. Set aside and let the dried fruit soak for around an hour.
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Line a round cake pan with parchment paper. The ideal size for a cake pan is 8-9 inches.
In a mixing bowl beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. You may use an electric or handheld mixer.
Add the oil and golden syrup to the butter mixture and beat until well combined.
Add the salt, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the butter mixture and beat until combined.
Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture. Make sure to beat the egg until it is well combined into the mixture before adding the next egg.
Add the flour and stir well.
Add the chopped walnuts and dried fruit mixture including all the liquid leftover from soaking.
Stir until the mixture is well combined.
Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and cover with some foil for the first 2 ½ hours of baking.
Remove the foil and bake for another 30-45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.
Once it is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool for around 20 minutes before transferring it onto a cooling rack.
Let it cool completely before serving.
Notes:
You don’t have to use brandy. For a non-alcoholic cake just omit the brandy and use 1 cup and 2 tbsp of apple juice.
You may use other juices such as pineapple or orange instead of apple.
Please note that dark brown sugar will help give the cake a rich brown color, however, it is not necessary. Regular brown sugar is fine to use, it will just make the cake a lighter color.
Feel free to switch out any of the dried fruits and substitute them with something you prefer. Some options are candied pineapple, dried cranberries, dried currants, cherries, golden raisins, or even candied ginger.
You may also switch out the walnuts for other nuts such as almonds, pecans, or cashews.
When using the mixed peel, just remember that they can come dried or crystallized. Some are sweeter than others which will alter the overall flavor of the cake. Make sure to chop the mixed peel well if it isn’t already done. This is to ensure that the citrus flavor is more evenly spread throughout the cake batter.
If you can find pre-chopped mixed dried fruit then you may use that instead of buying each kind of dried fruit separately.
The cake can be served as is, or you may serve it with custard.
For storage, you may store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks or so. You may store it for even longer if you keep it in the freezer.
