Easy apple fruit cake
By Jane Hornby
Cooking time
Prep: 15 mins Cook: 1 hrSkill level
EasyServings
Cuts into 12 slicesThis cake has all the flavours of Christmas, but won't take ages to make - you can decorate it any way you like. Ideal for a wedding cake too
Nutrition and extra info
Additional info
- Freezable
Nutrition per slice
- kcalories
- 350
- protein
- 4g
- carbs
- 51g
- fat
- 16g
- saturates
- 9g
- fibre
- 1g
- sugar
- 18g
- salt
- 0.63g
Ingredients
- 200g butter, softened plus extra for greasing
- 200g dark muscovado sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 200g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eating apples, grated (approx 100g each)
- 300g mixed sultanas and raisins
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Method
- Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the bottom of a deep, round 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper. Beat the first seven ingredients together in a large bowl (electric hand- beaters are best for this), until pale and thick. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the fruit until evenly combined.
- Spoon the batter into the tin and bake for 50 mins-1 hr or until the cake is dark golden, springy to the touch and has shrunk away from the tin slightly. A skewer inserted into the centre will come out clean when it’s ready. Cool completely before decorating. Will keep, wrapped in an airtight container or iced, for up to a week, or can be frozen un-iced for up to a month – defrost fully before decorating.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2005
Comments, questions and tips
Comments
Really easy to make, made this as an Xmas cake to take down to my parents over the festive period, went down really well. I used only one apple and 400g of sainsburys luxury mixed fruit (sultanas, currants, cherries, dried apricot, dried pineapple and mixed peel) which worked well. I cooked it for slightly longer until a skewer came out clean in the middle. I covered the cake in ready to roll marzipan and left for a day to dry, then covered it in ready to roll white icing (my first icing experience!) I then made my own decorations out of coloured sugar paste icing. I also made this into mini fruit cakes twice as shown in the "goes well with..." on this page. Both times I topped them with marzipan, using white icing for mini birthday cakes the first time and made my own festive icing toppers the second time. All in all, a good fruit cake on its own and as basis for experiencing with different themes and finishings :o)
Delicious and easy! I made it yesterday for my workmates and they enjoyed it. But I have substituted raisins for dried cranberries and used granulated sugar and marple syrop, so my cake was a little bit lighter in color. Also I cut sugar almost a half, but it was still very sweet, good with tea or black coffee. Will definitely cook it again.
Fantastic cake and so easy to make. Not sure if you are meant to peel tha apples prior to grating - i didn't bother and I don't think it made any difference.
Cooking time is longer than in recipe - my cake took 1 hour 15 or so. Can't comment on how well it keeps, as it was eaten within 2 days!
Will definitely make this again.
Made this cake and was concerned like others that it was crumbly on the day it was made but the next day and after freezing, it cut beautifully. It's definitely one of those cakes that gets better with age. Gave some to a neighbour who had just moved in to welcome them to their new home and received great feedback.