Homemade © J Sainsbury plc 2016 www.homemadebyyou.co.uk
Christmas cake with frosted fruit
A delicious classic with frosted figs and redcurrants and brandy buttercream
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Ready in 2 hours 30 minutes, plus soaking time
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Cooking time 2 hours
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Prep time 30 minutes
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Serves 18
Ingredients
For the cake
- 250g sultanas
- 125g seedless raisins
- 100g dried cherries
- 125g dried figs, chopped into chunks
- 75g currants
- 75g dried cranberries
- 1 orange, zested
- 200ml medium dry sherry
- 225g butter
- 225g dark muscovado sugar
- 4 eggs
- 175g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 100g ground almonds
For the brandy buttercream icing
- 125g butter, softened
- 3 tbsp brandy
- 1 tbsp double cream
- 400g icing sugar
For the frosted fruit decoration
- 50g redcurrants, to decorate
- 25g red grapes, to decorate
- 25g white grapes, to decorate
- 1 egg white
- 50g caster sugar
Method
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1
Put all the fruit in a large bowl, along with the grated orange zest. Pour over the sherry and mix well. Cover and leave overnight.
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2
Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. Line an 8-inch cake tin with parchment paper. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little flour between each addition to prevent curdling. Carefully fold in the remaining flour, baking powder and spices until well combined, then fold in the ground almonds. Fold through the marinated fruit.
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3
Spoon the cake into the prepared cake tin and level the surface. Bake in the oven for around 2 hours, or until a cake skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Remove from the tin and leave to cool completely. Wrap in foil until ready to ice.
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4
Put the butter, brandy and double cream in a freestanding mixer and beat until combined. Slowly add the icing sugar, beating well between each addition. Spread the buttercream all over the cake with a palette knife.
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5
Wash the fruit and pat it dry with a paper towel. Lightly whisk the egg white in a bowl, then brush the fruit with egg white using a pastry brush. Spread the caster sugar on a plate, then roll the fruit in the sugar. Leave to set on a wire rack. Decorate the cake with the frosted fruit.
