Make sure that the butter or margarine is at room temperature.
For this recipe I am using the Festive Cake Mix from Food Lover’s Market – if you are unable to get this, you can get separate batches of sultanas, raisins, slivered almonds, currants & glazed cherries.
Heat a saucepan on the stove on medium heat & add in the Festive Cake Mix.
Pour in the water – I used cold water.
Add in the brown sugar.
Mix well.
Allow it to boil for 15 minutes.
After 10 minutes of boiling, notice how the mixture thickens & darkens & most of the liquid starts to evaporate.
After 15 minutes, turn off the heat.
Add in the butter or margarine.
Mix well until the butter/margarine has melted.
Remove the saucepan from the heat & allow the mixture to cool down completely. If you want to speed things up, place the saucepan into the refrigerator until it has cooled.
Whilst the mixture cools, preheat oven to 160° Celsius or 320° Fahrenheit.
Grease a 18 cm (7 inch) pan with cooking spray & set aside until ready to use.
Prep the dry ingredients. Sift the all-purpose or cake flour into a bowl.
Add in the baking powder & the bicarbonate of soda.
Add in the cinnamon powder, all-spice powder & the ginger powder.
Next, add in ½ cup of roughly chopped pecan nuts.
Mix until all the dry ingredients are combined.
Once the Fruit mixture is cooled, crack the eggs into a separate bowl.
Beat the eggs using a whisk or a fork.
Pour the beaten eggs into the cooled fruit mixture.
Mix well.
Add in the dry ingredients.
Fold in the dry ingredients until well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
Once the Christmas Fruit Cake is baked, remove from the oven. Whilst it’s still hot, poke some holes in the cake using a toothpick & pour the brandy, whiskey, rum, sherry or tropical juice over.
Allow the cake to sit in the pan for 5 minutes, thereafter carefully turn it onto a plate. It’s fine if there are a few scorch marks – you won’t be able to taste it once the icing goes over.
Allow the cake to cool down completely before preparing the royal icing. This Christmas Fruit Cake can be eaten as is if you do not prefer icing on it.
Once the cake is cooled, start making the royal icing. I prefer using a tall jug for this process with a stick blender as it is less messy.
Add the egg white into a bowl or a jug.
Whisk until thick & foamy.
Add a little icing (confectionery) sugar at a time & whisk.
Thereafter, add in the lemon essence.
Whisk until you reach a thick & creamy consistency. It should not be too runny as it won’t spread well & it shouldn’t be too thick either as it will harden faster & will leave blobs whilst spreading on the cake instead of a smooth layer.
Spread the royal icing over the cake – I scraped off any excess icing for a more rustic look but feel free to ice it however you prefer.
Top with the remaining ½ cup of roughly chopped pecan nuts & press it down slightly into the icing before the icing dries out.
Add some cherries if you desire.
Add sprigs of rosemary for a more Christmasy look. I also added some chopped pecans around the surface of the cake.
The Christmas Fruit Cake is ready to be served.
This Christmas Fruit Cake will also brighten up you Christmas table.
Slice & enjoy.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 weeks.
Have you tried this recipe or have questions for Denisiya? Join the conversation below.
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