I’ve always liked bits and pieces in my cakes. As a child, I loved a Brittania fruit cake filled with tutti-frutti (probably plastic soaked in sugar syrup). I’ve wanted to bake this cake for years. This year-  I was at home during Christmas break and ready to take on a baking project. I am sorry I waited so long to make this- this cake is sublime. The flavors do indeed get better over time.

Alton Brown is a genius! His baking recipes work every single time. There is a video on the link.  Is this cake worth the effort? A resounding YES!

Day 1:

Prep 4 cups of dried fruits (I used 1 cup golden raisins, 1 cup currants, 2/3 cup apricots chopped to raisin size, 2/3 cup dried cranberries, 2/3 cup dried blueberries) and 1/4  cup crystallized ginger chopped to raisin size. Chop zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange into 1/2 inch dice. Add one cup of rum (I used a dark rum) to dried fruits and zest and cover with cling film to macerate for one day.

Day 2:

Make spice mixture: Grind 4 cloves, 6 all spice berries and a 2 inch piece of cinnamon to powder, add 1 tsp of ground ginger

Cook fruit and rum mixture with 10 tbsp butter, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of unfiltered apple cider and spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Cool for 1-2 hours or overnight

Day 3:

Baking day: heat oven to 325 F

Dry ingredients: 1 3/4 cup All purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp salt- sift together or whisk together

Add dry ingredients to the fruit mixture and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add 2 eggs one at a time stirring with the wooden spoon till well incorporated (this isn’t a genoise sponge – it will be fine). Stir in 1/2 cup of toasted and chopped walnuts.

Prep your pans. This amount of cake filled up 3/4 of a regular loaf pan (8.5 inchesx 4 inches) and 12 muffin cups. Bake till toothpick comes out clean (40 minutes for muffins and 60 minutes for loaf). Cook and baste with brandy (I used cointreau since we seem to have run out of brandy) . Every 2-3 days- baste with more brandy.  This cake tastes best about a week out. Actually, correction – we finished this cake in one week- perhaps it would have tasted even better at 2 weeks, we will never know.