Boiled Fruit Cake

 **The Ultimate Boiled Fruit Cake: Simple, Delicious, and Full of Flavor**  

Fruit cakes often carry the reputation of being complex or time-consuming, but a boiled fruit cake defies all those notions. It’s rich, packed with bold flavors, and delightfully straightforward to prepare. Whether you're a first-time baker or someone short on time, this recipe is a perfect place to start your fruit cake journey.  

What makes a boiled fruit cake so special? It’s all in the boiling process. Simmering the dried fruits not only softens and plumps them but also intensifies their natural sweetness and allows the flavors to blend harmoniously. This one simple step is the secret behind the cake’s moist texture and the complex depth that every great fruit cake boasts.  

If you’ve never tried making a fruit cake before, trust me—this fuss-free recipe will change your mind. One bite, and you’ll see why this timeless classic remains a favorite.

Ingredients

• ▢250 grams butter, chopped into cubes
• ▢½ cup brandy (125 ml)
• ▢½ cup water (125 ml)
• ▢1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed (200 grams)
• ▢500 grams mixed dried fruit (3 ½ cups)
• ▢3 eggs, lightly beaten (60 gram eggs)
• ▢1 cup plain flour / all purpose flour (145 grams)
• ▢1 cup SR flour (140 grams) (or 1 cup plain/all purpose flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder)
• ▢1 teaspoon bicarb soda
• ▢½ teaspoon allspice
• ▢½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢1 pinch salt
• ▢extra brandy to "feed" the cake

Instructions

1. Place butter, brandy, water, brown sugar and mixed fruit into a large saucepan. Place over low heat and stir until butter has melted and ingredients are well combined. Bring mixture to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Once mixture is off the heat, allow to cool to room temperature.
3. While the mixture is cooling, pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celsius / 340 degrees fahrenheit, fan-forced and grease the round cake tin and line with 2 layers of baking paper.
4. Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the egg to the mixture and stir to combine.
5. Sift the remaining dry ingredients into the mixture. Stir until combined.
6. Pour mixture into prepared cake tin. Bake for 1 ½ hours or until the cake is a golden colour and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
7. When you remove the cake from the oven, you can use a pastry brush to coat the top of the cake with a 2-3 tablespoons of brandy "(feeding the cake"). Then, add a layer of foil to the top of the cake and wrap the entire cake (tin and all) in a clean tea towel.
8. Once the cake is completely cool, or after a few days, remove the cake from the tin. You can opt to feed the cake with brandy again at this point. Wrap in foil and then in a clean tea towel and store in a cool, dry place for up to a few months. You can check on the cake and optionally feed it every couple of weeks.

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