Sunday 27 July 2014

Light ginger fruit cake




If you find traditional celebration fruit cakes too rich and heavy this may well be the cake for you.  Once baked it will store just like its heavier counterparts, and can also be decorated.




There are two options with this recipe – you can soak the fruit in 200ml of ginger wine and bake a spongy, light fruit cake; or you can take the route I did and use 400ml of ginger wine resulting in a cross between a fruit cake and bread pudding.  My cake came out dark and squidgy but was still light.




On my travels I came across Gran Stead’s ginger wine
.  I’m glad I went for the “dark and mellow” rather than the fiery one as it still had some sting to it!  It’s also non-alcoholic so the finished cake doesn’t have that burn of booze that some cakes have.




This cake keeps for ages –just like its more traditional cousins...but, you might also want to bear in mind how awesome it is warmed up and served with custard or ice cream (my nod to summer!) as a dessert.





Ingredients

350g raisins
125g sultanas
125g currants
200ml or 400ml ginger wine – depending on whether you want a spongy or a pudding-y cake, plus 4 tablespoons extra
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g dark muscovado sugar
4 eggs
200g plain flour
50g ground almonds
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2-3 teaspoons ground ginger, depending how hot you want it!
1 tablespoon black treacle


Method

The night before you make the cake place the dried fruits and ginger wine in a bowl to soak.  Stir occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/320°F/gas mark 3.

Line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper ensuring that the paper comes up about 2cm above the height of the tin.

Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and well combined.  The mixture will lighten a bit in colour.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding some of the flour if it looks like it might curdle.
Mix in the flour, almonds, spices and treacle.

Stir in the soaked fruits along with any liquid left in the bowl.

Spoon into the tin (it will come up almost to the top) and level the surface.

Bake for 30 minutes then lower the temperature to 150°/fan oven 130°C/300°F/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 1 ½ - 2 hours, but definitely check after 1 ½ hours as mine was almost done.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pierce all over with a skewer and brush on the 4 tablespoons ginger wine.

Leave the cake to cool completely in its tin before removing and wrapping in baking paper and foil.  Once wrapped the cake will keep for up to 3 months.  If however, like me, you wish to eat the cake straight away, simply de-tin it and put it on a serving plate!

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.


12 comments:

Kezia said...

I love any type of fruit cake, not only because they always feel special and celebratory, to me, but also I love the texture (and flavour) of dried fruit in cakes. Personally I never find traditional 'too rich' (is there such a thing?!) but this looks just as delicious!

Dipika said...

This looks really nice - I think you can have any cake you want at any time of year!

I've never used ginger wine before but will definitely give it a go.

Gloria Baker said...

This is s really lovely cake CC and my mom love this type of cake!
I will make soon! Thanks by sharing!

Gluten Free Alchemist said...

Love the use of ginger wine. Great choice! The cake looks amazingly moist and rich..... I'm not usually big on fruit cakes, but I really like the idea of one which is more puddingy and less dry...... Very tempting!

Cakelaw said...

Yum! I so love fruit cakes, even the celebration ones, and a fruit cake with ginger sounds just wonderful.

Thalia @ butter and brioche said...

i have to admit im a sucker when it comes to fruit cake.. i could definitely devour a slice right now. love it!

Maggie said...

Ginger wine is all too often thought of just for drinking, what a great use of ginger wine.

Katie said...

This looks fabulous and I love the almost bread pudding consistency. I love fruit cake but can never justify making a Christmas cake in the middle of the year - I can now!

Snowy said...

Great idea to use ginger wine. we love anything with ginger in it, so another one to try. Thanks.

Cakeyboi said...

I love the sound of the cake AND the wine!!

Choclette said...

Ginger wine in a cake? How fabulous is that. I am soooo going to try this. Fab recipe, thank you.

Jean said...

Wow, this looks delicious.
Ginger cakes and fruit cakes are Nick's favourites so this certainly ticks all his boxes. It looks lovely and moist and I really like the idea of leftovers as pudding. I would probably have it with custard........and apologise for nothing!