Custard Fruit Cake
A rich, old-fashioned fruit cake made with hot milk and soda, traditionally soaked in brandyThis is a dense, dark fruit cake with a distinctive custard-style method: boiling milk is poured over eggs and soda before baking slowly. It is well suited to being made well in advance and improves with time.
Equipment
- 24 cm round deep tin Grease and line base and sides with baking paper; double-line if the tin is not heavy
Ingredients
- 225 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 300 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 225 g sugar white or light brown
- 1.1 kg mixed fruit raisins, sultanas, currants, peel
- 2 eggs large
- 250 ml milk
- brandy for soaking fruit (about 250–300 ml)
Instructions
- Soak the fruit. Place the dried fruit in a large bowl and cover generously with brandy. Soak for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Drain lightly before using (reserve soaking liquid if you wish to feed the cake later).1.1 kg mixed fruit, brandy
- Prepare the tin and oven. Heat oven to 180°C. (160°C if you have a fan forced oven). Grease and line the tin thoroughly.
- Rub in the butter. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.225 g unsalted butter, 300 g plain flour
- Add sugar and fruit. Stir in the sugar, then fold through the soaked fruit until evenly distributed. Remember to drain the fruit first and to reserve the brandy.225 g sugar, 1.1 kg mixed fruit
- Add eggs. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and crack the eggs into it. Mix lightly. I like to beat the eggs lightly before adding them to the mix2 eggs
- Heat the milk. Bring the milk just to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.1 tsp baking soda, 250 ml milk
- Make another well in the centre of the mixture, and pour in the hot milk mixture. Mix thoroughly until everything is evenly combined.
- Bake. Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth the top.Bake at 180°C. (160°C fan forced) for 50 minutes, then reduce to 160°C and bake for a further 60–70 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely in the tin before removing.
Notes
I put a cartouche on top of the cake while it is baking to help keep it moist and stop it from cooking too quickly on top. A cartouche is a round piece of baking paper that sits on top of food while it cooks.
This cake is designed to be made well in advance. Once fully cooled, wrap tightly in baking paper, then several layers of foil. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. For longer keeping, unwrap every couple of months and sprinkle with a tablespoon or three of brandy before re-wrapping.
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