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Old English Dark Fruit Cake


  • Author: jackson-walker
  • Total Time: 150 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

A rich and dense fruit cake filled with dried fruits and nuts, perfect for holiday celebrations.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped dried prunes
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped dates
  • 1 1/2 cups dark raisins
  • 1 1/4 cups golden raisins
  • 1 1/4 cups currants
  • ¾ cup butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • ¾ cup molasses
  • ½ cup coffee liqueur or strong black coffee
  • Zest and juice of 2 oranges
  • 1 cup chopped glace cherries
  • 1 cup candied citrus peel
  • 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1 tsp cloves
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp cocoa
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup ground hazelnuts or almonds
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda

Instructions

  1. Prep your oven and pans: Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) and grease and line a 10-inch round cake pan.
  2. Mix the fruits and nuts: Combine prunes, dates, dark raisins, golden raisins, currants, glace cherries, and candied citrus peel in a bowl.
  3. Combine the wet ingredients: Cream butter, dark brown sugar, and molasses together. Add coffee liqueur and orange zest and juice.
  4. Blend in the eggs: Beat in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.
  5. Add the dry ingredients: Whisk flour, ground nuts, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and spices together and fold into the wet mixture.
  6. Combine everything: Fold in fruit and nut mixture into the batter and pour into the prepared cake pan.
  7. Bake low and slow: Bake for 1.5 to 2 hours or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Cool and serve: Let cool in the pan before transferring to a wire rack and cooling completely before slicing.

Notes

For richer flavors, let the cake sit for a few days before serving. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 120 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: British

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 350
  • Sugar: 22g
  • Sodium: 200mg
  • Fat: 15g
  • Saturated Fat: 7g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 8g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 50g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 4g
  • Cholesterol: 90mg

Keywords: fruit cake, holiday dessert, traditional cake, Old English cake