Unlike a lot of fruit loaf recipes this recipe makes a lovely moist rich cake. It is a classic boiled fruit cake recipe, make with a blend of dried fruit and wonderful spices.
So what is a boil and bake cake? It is exactly what it says it is. You begin the recipe with gently boiling the dried fruit with the butter and sugar. By cooking the fruit it softens up and rehydrates the fruit bringing out of that wonderful syrupy sweetness. Once they have boiled and cooled you then continue making the batter, then you bake it. Thus creating a boil and bake cake. Simple.
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Tools needed
- Medium sized pot
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Loaf tin
Ingredients for the fruit loaf
Mixed fruit. You can create your own fruit blend for this recipe. Any dried fruit that you enjoy or ones that you can find easily in your local supermarket will work well. The fruit loaf that you can see in the images above and below are a blend of raisins, sultanas, chopped dates, currants and cranberries. If you happen to love glace cherries then feel free to add them in too, all of this will really come down to your own personal preference.
Salted butter
Brown sugar I like to use demerara sugar
All purpose flour and baking powder or self raising flour, my original recipe was created in the UK where self raising flour is readily available. I am now here in Canada where that isn’t the case, I have never been a fan of the self raising flour here I find it overly salty. Instead I like to make my own by using all purpose flour and baking powder. This is what I will use for the recipe below.
Water
Large eggs, size 2 eggs
Spice blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and all spice. You can also use a mixed spice if you are able to find it.
Optional ingredients: Scottish whiskey, added into the hot fruit while it is cooling.
: Halved glace cherries and walnuts or pecans to decorate the top of the fruit loaf
How to make the fruit loaf
Boil the fruit
Begin with placing the dried fruit, butter, sugar and water into a medium sized pot. Slowly bring it up to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat so that it maintains a good simmer. Simmer the fruit for around 20 minutes uncovered, stirring it every so often to make sure than nothing is catching on the bottom of the pot.
Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool completely. At this point you can add in the whiskey if you have chosen to use it.
Make the batter
Preheat your oven to 320F, 160C, gas mark 3
Once the fruit has cooled add it along with the flour, baking powder, salt, eggs and spices into a mixing bowl and mix it all together thoroughly. Make sure the are no clumps of flour remaining.
Take the loaf tin and grease it with butter, then line it with parchment paper. Pour the cake batter into the tin. You can also decorate the top of the fruit loaf with halved glace cherries and either walnuts and pecan, this is entirely optional and not necessary.
Baking the fruit loaf
Place the tin into the preheated oven and bake for around 1- 1 1/4 hours. This is a low temperature oven bake so this means the cake will take a bit of time to bake. You can check its progress as it bakes. I would probably start this around the 50 minute mark. If you take a skewer or a toothpick, stab it into the cake near the middle. If the skewer comes out clean with no batter on it then the fruit loaf is ready if not then give it more time.
Remove the tin from the oven once it is done and leave it to sit for a few minutes before removing the fruit loaf. Carefully remove the loaf from the tin it will more than likely still be pretty hot, so use your oven mitts to do this.
Place the fruit loaf onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Eating and storing the fruit loaf
Now you can enjoy the fruit loaf right away, but, if you can let it sit for a few days wrapped in tin foil before you eat it. This will allow all of the flavours the settle and for the loaf to firm up ever so slightly.
You can serve the fruit loaf as it is or I personally love it sliced and smothered in butter.
Another fantastic serving option would be to enjoy it with a whiskey cream. To make a whiskey cream whisk together some whipping cream with a little icing sugar, a small splash of whiskey and a dash of vanilla. It is really quite indulgent and one that I highly recommend trying.
Fruit loaf, boil and bake cake
An amazing rich dense fruit loaf that is still moist and packed full of flavour. A great classic boiled fruit cake recipe
Ingredients
- 350g (2-2 1/2 cups) Mixed dried fruit (eg. raisins, sultanas, chopped dates, currants, cranberries)
- 110g (3/4 cup) Salted butter
- 110g (packed 1/2 cup) Brown sugar (demerara)
- 150mls Water
- 225g (1 1/2 cups) All purpose flour (or self raising flour and omit the baking powder)
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp all spice, 1/4 tsp cloves.
- Optional: 2-3 tbsp Scottish whiskey
- Optional: Halved glace cherries and walnuts or pecans to decorate the top with.
Instructions
- Begin with placing the dried fruit, butter, sugar and water into a medium sized pot. Slowly bring it up to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat so that it maintains a good simmer. Simmer the fruit for around 20 minutes uncovered, stirring it every so often to make sure than nothing is catching on the bottom of the pot.
- Remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool completely. At this point you can add in the whiskey if you have chosen to use it.
- Preheat your oven to 320F, 160C, gas mark 3
- Once the fruit has cooled add it along with the flour, baking powder, salt, eggs and spices into a mixing bowl and mix it all together thoroughly. Make sure the are no lumps of flour remaining.
- Take the loaf tin and grease it with butter, then line it with parchment paper. Pour the cake batter into the tin.
- You can also decorate the top of the fruit loaf with halved glace cherries and either walnuts and pecan, this is entirely optional and not necessary.
- Place the tin into the preheated oven and bake for around 1- 1 1/4 hours. This is a low temperature oven bake so this means the cake will take a bit of time to bake. Check its progress as it bakes with a skewer. I would probably start this around the 50 minute mark. See the notes below on how to do this.
- Remove the tin from the oven once it is done and leave it to sit for a few minutes before removing the fruit loaf. Carefully remove the loaf from the tin it will more than likely still be pretty hot, so use your oven mitts to do this.
- Place the fruit loaf onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
You can enjoy the fruit loaf right away, but, if you can let it sit for a few days wrapped in tin foil before you eat it.
Notes
If you take a skewer or a toothpick, stab it into the cake near the middle. If the skewer comes out clean with no batter on it then the fruit loaf is ready if not then give it more time.
Serve the fruit loaf with butter or better yet whiskey whipped cream.
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