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Try this rum and almond fruit cake then check out our classic Christmas cake, gluten-free Christmas cake, mince pies, rum cake and almond cake, plus discover more Christmas baking recipes.

For an alternative decorating option, whip up a batch of our homemade royal icing to use on this fruit cake.

  • 100g sultanas
  • 100g raisins
  • 50g dark glacé cherries
    chopped
  • 50g crystallised ginger
    chopped
  • 4 tbsp dark rum
  • 200g butter
    softened, plus more for the tin
  • 200g light muscovado sugar
  • 3 eggs
    beaten
  • 1 tbsp black treacle
  • 220g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 small apples
    peeled and grated

ALMOND BUTTERCREAM

  • 185g salted butter
    at room temperature
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp almond extract

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal706
  • fat33.7g
  • saturates20.6g
  • carbs91g
  • sugars69.9g
  • fibre1.8g
  • protein5.2g
  • salt1.1g

Method

  • step 1

    Tip the dried fruits, ginger and rum into a bowl and leave to soak for a couple of hours or overnight, if you like. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the bottom of a deep, round 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle, self-raising flour, mixed spice, ground ginger and baking powder with electric beaters, until thick. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the apples, soaked dried fruit and any soaking liquid.

  • step 2

    Spoon the batter into the tin, level the top and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until dark golden, springy to the touch and it’s slightly shrunk away from the sides of the tin. A skewer pushed into the centre will come out clean when it’s ready. Cool, wrap in baking paper and put in an airtight container. Will keep for a week before icing, or it can be frozen. Defrost overnight at room temperature before decorating.

  • step 3

    To make the buttercream, put the butter into a bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar and almond extract using electric beaters until fluffy. Spread all over the cake using a spatula.

Authors

Janine Ratcliffe Portrait
Janine RatcliffeFood director
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