Easter Fruit Cake

Easter Fruit Cake is a traditional British recipe for a classic rich fruit cake topped with marzipan and icing and which, typically, are served at Easter time. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Easter Fruit Cake.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

100 minutes

Total Time:

120 minutes

Serves:

8

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Baking RecipesCake RecipesBritish Recipes


Ingredients:

400g mixed dried fruit
150g glacé cherries (quartered)
100g dates, chopped
100g butter
150g dark brown soft sugar
1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp mixed spice
285ml milk
350g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 tbsp apricot jam
225g ready to roll white icing
250g white marzipan
a little icing sugar (sifted)
2-3 drops each of pink and green food colourings

Method:

Place the fruit, spice, sugar, milk and bicarbonate of soda into a large pan. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool to blood-heat then sift the flour and salt and stir into this mixture along with the eggs. Turn into a greased double-lined 20cm cake tin. Smooth the surface and hollow out centre slightly.

Place in an oven pre-heated to 170°C (325°F/Gas Mark 3) and bake the cake 45 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 150°C (300°F/Gas Mark 2) and cook for about a further 50 minutes. To see if the cake is cooked a skewer pushed into the middle should come out clean. Cool the cake in its tin then transfer to a wire rack and remove the greaseproof paper. Spread the top of cake with the jam. Then using a little icing sifted icing sugar, lightly knead the prepared icing before rolling out to fit just inside cake top. Trim the icing 5mm from the edge to allow for pink marzipan.

Cut the marzipan into three equal pieces. Colour the first piece pink and knead thoroughly. Measure the circumference of the cake with string then roll the pink marzipan by hand to the same length. Lift on to the cake, pressing neatly to the white icing edge then trim the ends and join. Colour the second piece green and roll out to the same length. Roll out third the piece likewise and twist them together. Lay the twists around cake, just inside the pink roll then trim the ends and join. Tie a ribbon or fix a cake band around the cake.

Another classic way to decorate the cake would be with white icing and a garnish of edible flowers such as violets, heartsease, primroses or tulip petals.

Find more Easter Recipes Here