This delicious cake comes from Christchurch interior designer (and avid cook!) Marilyn Carter-Smith. It combines the best from a traditional Christmas cake with its brandy-soaked dried fruits, the richness of a dense, dark chocolate cake, as well as walnuts and spices. If time allows, soak the fruit for at least 1 week and up to 3 weeks.
INGREDIENTS
Fruit mixture
500 grams dried fruit cake mix
75 grams glacé cherries
250 grams pitted prunes, roughly chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup grated apple, skin on
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 cup brandy
Cake
175 grams butter
3⁄4 cup raw sugar
2 eggs
1 3⁄4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and mixed spice
1⁄4 teaspoon ground chilli, optional
250 grams dark chocolate, finely chopped (we recommend 72% cocoa)
finely grated zest 1 orange
3 tablespoons orange juice
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
METHOD
Fruit: Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Stir daily.
To assemble and cook: Preheat the oven to 150 ̊C and set the rack one level below the centre of the oven. Grease and fully line an 8 cm deep x 20 cm square cake tin with 3 layers of baking paper.
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. The sugar will not be dissolved. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoonful of the flour with each egg. This stops the mixture from curdling. Combine the remaining flour, baking powder, spices and chocolate in a bowl. Stir the orange zest, juice and baking soda together in another bowl. Using a large metal spoon, fold both mixtures into the butter along with the soaked fruit.
Spoon into the tin and smooth the top. Cover with a piece of baking paper, pressing it onto the mixture. Wrap a thick piece of brown paper around the outside of the tin, securing with kitchen string.
Bake for about 2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Make sure it’s not just melted chocolate on the skewer. Cool in the tin.
To serve: The cake can be left unadorned or can be iced with a traditional icing or chocolate ganache. It’s also delicious served with fresh berries and mascarpone. Makes 1 cake.
Alternative presentation: Not everyone needs a whole Christmas cake, so a good idea is to cut the 20cm cake into quarters and individually wrap them as a gift as we have done in the photo.
I wanted a smaller, round cake as well as the square cake in the recipe above. I doubled the recipe and filled a 6 cm deep x 15 cm round cake tin to 1 cm from the top. I then put the rest of the mixture into the square tin. Follow the cooking instructions as above.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
Related Content
latest issue:
Issue #121
As winter arrives, so does the latest issue of dish! With over 60 recipes this edition features seasonal produce like pumpkin, leeks and silverbeet whipped into delicious dinners. Pasta takes centre-stage in 5 outrageously tasty recipes, then we break out the slow cooker and amp up the comfort with cozy roasts and braises. Winter wouldn’t be the same without a hearty pie or two, and we have a selection – from Beef Cheek Pot Pie to Moroccan Shepherd’s Pie. Food Fast has your speedy weeknight dinners covered then Melie brings the magic with inventive chicken dishes while Olivia’s baking and desserts will brighten the even the coldest days.