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Ultimate Christmas Fruitcake

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PREP TIME
35 min
COOKING TIME
40 min
TOTAL TIME
1525 min
SERVINGS
8 servings
Dessert British
Ultimate Christmas Fruitcake
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup dried currants
  • 1/8 cup chopped dried cherries
  • 1/8 cup chopped dried mango
  • 1/8 cup chopped candied citron
  • 1/4 cup dark rum
  • cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 6 tablespoons dark rum, or more as needed
Instructions
1
Prepare the fruit mixture: Combine cranberries, currants, cherries, mango, and citron in a medium-sized bowl. Mix everything together until they are well combined. Add the rum and mix again, making sure it's evenly distributed. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for a minimum of 24 hours.
2
Prepare the baking pan: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Cut out a circle of parchment paper with a diameter of 6 inches. Spray the inside of a round pan measuring 6x3 inches with cooking spray. Place the parchment paper circle at the bottom of the pan and spray it again.
3
Mix the cake batter: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and brown sugar until they are light and fluffy. This should take around 3 minutes. Next, beat in an egg until it's fully incorporated.
4
Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.
5
Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with molasses. After each addition, mix the batter briefly to avoid lumps.
6
Add soaked fruit and nuts: Stir in the prepared fruit mixture and chopped pecans into the cake batter.
7
Pour the batter into the pan: Pour the cake batter into the prepared 6x3-inch round pan. Smooth out the top of the batter to ensure even baking.
8
Bake the cake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This should take around 40 to 45 minutes.
9
Prepare for wrapping: While the cake is baking, cut out two pieces of parchment paper and one piece of cheesecloth. Each piece should be large enough to wrap around the cake.
10
Remove and cool: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of rum over the top of the cake.
11
Moisten the cheesecloth: Dip the cheesecloth in 1 tablespoon of rum. Place it on top of the parchment paper, and carefully unmold the cake onto it.
12
Brush with rum: Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining 3 tablespoons of rum.
13
Wrap the cake: Wrap the cheesecloth closely to the surface of the cake, then wrap it with the parchment paper.
14
Store the cake: Transfer the wrapped cake to an airtight container or tin. Seal the container and let it age at room temperature for at least 10 weeks before serving.