King Charles III Favourite Fruit Cake
Time
3 ½ hours (+ overnight soak)
Difficulty
Easy
Makes
1 Cake
You'll never want to eat another fruitcake again once you've tried this delicious tea-soaked fruitcake fit for any royal. My Kitchen Drawer has created a recipe packed full of dried fruit, soaked in tea overnight and flavoured with treacle, vanilla, and nutmeg whilst the ground almonds, glace cherries and mixed peel offer more taste and a wonderful texture.
INGREDIENTS
450g mixed fruit (currants, raisins and sultanas)
300ml Whittard Regal Blend Tea, cold
150g unsalted butter, soft
150g dark muscovado sugar
4 eggs, large
225g plain flour
1 tbsp treacle
¼ tsp nutmeg
¾ tsp mixed spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
100g glace cherries
75g mixed peel
110g ground almonds
METHOD
12 hours before baking
- Brew up 300ml Whittard Regal Blend Tea and leave it to cool down
- Add 450g mixed fruit to a large bowl the add the cooled tea and mix it through
- Leave the fruits to soak for 12 hours or overnight.
For the fruit cake
- Line an 8x3 inch cake pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3.
- Cream the unsalted butter and dark muscovado sugar together until smooth
- Add one egg followed by ¼ of the flour and mix to combine. Repeat with remaining eggs and flour until they're mixed through well.
- Stir through the treacle, nutmeg, mixed spice, vanilla and baking powder then drain the fruits into a large bowl and add them to the bowl with the ground almonds, glace cherries and mixed peel. Keep the drained liquid to once side.
- Fold everything together carefully until it is all fully incorporated then pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth it out.
- Bake for 2 ½ hours until dark golden brown, then remove from the oven.
- Poke some holes in the top of the fruit cake and drizzle over some of the remaining drained tea liquid the leave to cool for 30 minutes.
- Glaze the top with some vanilla and honey then top with some flaked almonds before slicing.
- Enjoy a slice of fruit cake with a cup of Regal Blend Tea.
450g mixed fruit (currants, raisins and sultanas)
300ml Whittard Regal Blend Tea, cold
150g unsalted butter, soft
150g dark muscovado sugar
4 eggs, large
225g plain flour
1 tbsp treacle
¼ tsp nutmeg
¾ tsp mixed spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
100g glace cherries
75g mixed peel
110g ground almonds
12 hours before baking
- Brew up 300ml Whittard Regal Blend Tea and leave it to cool down
- Add 450g mixed fruit to a large bowl the add the cooled tea and mix it through
- Leave the fruits to soak for 12 hours or overnight.
For the fruit cake
- Line an 8x3 inch cake pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3.
- Cream the unsalted butter and dark muscovado sugar together until smooth
- Add one egg followed by ¼ of the flour and mix to combine. Repeat with remaining eggs and flour until they're mixed through well.
- Stir through the treacle, nutmeg, mixed spice, vanilla and baking powder then drain the fruits into a large bowl and add them to the bowl with the ground almonds, glace cherries and mixed peel. Keep the drained liquid to once side.
- Fold everything together carefully until it is all fully incorporated then pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth it out.
- Bake for 2 ½ hours until dark golden brown, then remove from the oven.
- Poke some holes in the top of the fruit cake and drizzle over some of the remaining drained tea liquid the leave to cool for 30 minutes.
- Glaze the top with some vanilla and honey then top with some flaked almonds before slicing.
- Enjoy a slice of fruit cake with a cup of Regal Blend Tea.
