3 ingredient Fruit Cake. (16 pieces approx.)
( I use it for my Christmas cake as well by using 1/2 iced coffee & add other half Baileys)
Ingredients
- 1 kg (6 cups) dried mixed fruit see recipe notes
- 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) iced coffee see notes
- 265 g (2 cups) self-raising flour
Instructions
- Place the mixed dried fruit into a very large bowl. Add the iced coffee (or liquid substitute) and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge overnight.
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper and set aside.
- Stir the self-raising flour through the fruit mixture and pour into the prepared tin.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour (see notes) or until the cake feels firm in the middle and a skewer inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
RECIPE NOTES
Mixed dried fruit- can be bought pre-packaged from the dried fruit/nuts section of any major supermarket. I like to use the Sunbeam Mixed Fruitthat contains sultanas, currants, raisins, orange peel, lemon peel and glace cherries.
Iced coffee -I like to use a store-bought iced coffee that is slightly sweetened for this recipe. There are many different brands of iced coffee that you can use, including: Big M, Farmers Union, Dare, Ice Break, Starbucks etc.
Iced coffee substitutes - if you prefer, you can substitute the iced coffee with: juice (orange, apple, pineapple etc), black tea, coffee or chocolate milk.
Adding alcohol - a splash of alcohol can be added to the mixture. These all work well: brandy, whisky, sherry, dark rum, orange-flavoured liqueur, Baileys Irish cream, Kahlua or port.
Preparation time - This recipe need to be started the day before baking as the dried fruit needs to soak in the liquid overnight.
Storing the cake - This cake can be stored for up to 1 month. To store, simply wrap in foil or place into an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing -Simply wrap the completely cooled cake in a layer of plastic wrap and then two layers of foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving the cake - Serve at room temperature or warm it up and serve with a drizzle of cream or custard (brandy custard is delicious too).
Baking the cake - Cook at 160 degrees celsius fan-forced (320 degrees fahrenheit). If using a conventional oven (not fan forced) increase the temperature to 175 degrees celsius (350 degrees fahrenheit).
Cooking time - Cooking time can vary from 1 hour up to almost 2 hours (normally 1 hour -1 30 minutes) depending on your oven. The cake is cooked if the middle is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
If the cake is browning too much - loosely place a sheet of foil over the top and continue cooking.