Fruit Cake .....

[nathaliekay]

Hello I'm looking for some advice and tips i used a fairly simple recipe for my fruit cake, its currently in the oven now on 150c which is i think 300f, so the only raising part was the self raising flour, there was not extra raising agent? my cake is not rising! and i did notice when i had finished preparing it ready for the tin it was a glazed gloupy mixture like it would hold together really daily it was not runny like a cake mix?! anyway i would love some opinions and advice if anyone has any??
Thank you xxxx happy baking

 

[ChesterV]

As far as I know, fruit cake recipes vary from country to country. In the USA, fruit cake recipes vary from state to state. You will get different results depending on what recipe you are using.

Even here in Texas where I live, there are 100 or more variations on Texas Fruit Cake!!

Fruit cake mixture will be thick and gloppy. And it has been a long time since I have made one, but I don't remember it rising at all.

A fruit cake is basically a cake made of fruit, with just enough cake batter to keep the fruit held together. Which will always result in no rising.

If you want more cake and less fruit, then you might get some rising from the cake while baking, but it would probably collapse once removed from the oven.

For the best fruit cake results with baking the cake mixture, always use either dried or candied fruit. Using fresh fruit will make what little cake batter there is, too wet and not bake correctly....and the cake could fall apart once out of the baking pan.

 

[ChesterV]

TEXAS FRUIT CAKE
from COOKS.COM

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk
1 lg. (28 oz.) jar Mincemeat
1 c. or 5 oz. jar orange marmalade
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
5 or 6 oz. chopped dates
6 oz. raisins
2 1/2 c. walnuts or pecans
1 c. sugar
1 1/4 lb. mixed fruit (for fruit cakes)
5 oz. shredded coconut
3 c. flour
1 heaping tsp. baking soda

Beginning with eggs, mix in large pan in the order given, adding flour and baking soda last.
Pour into greased and floured loaf pans and bake in 250 degree oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

This recipe has won first prize at the Texas State Fair. It was kept secret for many years.

 

[ChesterV]

GERMAN FRUIT CAKE
(this is not Stollen)

2/3 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs

Cream butter and sugar and then add eggs.


Sift together:

3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg



Add to first mixture, alternating with:

1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda



Fold in:

2/3 c. cherry preserves
2/3 c. apricot preserves
2/3 c. pineapple preserves
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. vanilla


Bake 1 1/2 hours at 325°F.
You may use 2 small loaf pans or 1 Bundt pan.

 

[ChesterV]

British Fruit Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb/450g mixed dried fruit
• 10 fl oz/ 300ml cold, strong, black tea
• 8oz/225g all purpose/plain flour
• 5½ oz/150g butter, slightly softened
• 5½ oz/150g dark Muscovado sugar
• 4 medium-sized eggs
• 1 tbsp dark treacle/cane molasses
• 3 fl oz/ 100ml brandy or sherry
• ½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4oz/110g ground almonds
• 8oz/225g candied peel, chopped
• 8oz/225g glace cherries, halved

PREPARATION

• The day before place the dried fruits in a large bowl, add the tea and stir well. Cover and leave overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325F/170C/Gas 3.
• Line an 8½"/22cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.
• Place the butter and sugar into a large baking bowl. Using an electric hand whisk or fork, cream the butter into the sugar until light, smooth and creamy.
• Beat one egg into the creamed butter, then beat in a quarter of the flour. Repeat until all the eggs and flour are used up.
• Add the treacle, brandy or sherry, nutmeg, lemon juice to the cake mixture and stir gently using a spoon or spatula. Finally, stir in the baking powder.
• Drain the dried fruits and add the ground almonds, glace cherries and mixed peel. Stir well then add to the cake mixture stirring gently until all the fruits are incorporated into the mixture. Stir gently so as not to 'flatten' the cake mixture.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and gently level the surface. Cook in the preheated oven for 2 - 2½ hours or until dark, golden brown.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 150 minutes

• Total Time: 180 minutes
• Yield: Serves 10

(I'm sure Becky will tell me if this one is a real British recipe or not...but I did get this recipe off a British food site)

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum @nathaliekay

ChesterV is right, fruit cakes tend to have enough cake batter just to hold the fruit together, so you won't see much of a rise. How did it turn out? Which recipe were you using?

 

[djordjem87]

Ingredients:

• 1l milk
• 3 pudding mixes ( 120 gr ) vanilla
  
• 4 tbsp of sugar
  
• 250 gr margarine or butter
  
• 150 gr powdered sugar
  
• 500 ml sweet cream
  
• 300 gr raspberries
  
• 400 gr of crackers like graham crackers

Prep:

Prepare pudding mix with milk and sugar as stated on the package.

When done, remove and chill.

Whisk or beat margarine/butter with powdered sugar and mix with chilled pudding.

Whisk sweet cream and add half in pudding mixture.

Add gradually so the cream is not too thick or liquid.

Diameter of the baking dish is around 24 cm.

Cover it with baking sheets.

Dip the Graham crackers into milk and cover the bottom of the dish.

Then cover with one third of the pudding cream you already made and then put half of the raspberries and again half of the rest of the sweet cream.

After that you start again with crackers dipped in milk, third of pudding cream, raspberries and rest of the sweet cream..

The top should be a layer of Graham crackers dipped in milk.

Chill in the fridge and feel free to decorate as you want to. It should be kept in the fridge until served.

 

[Winterybella]

Over here in Barbados it's call Black cake, great cake or fruit cake and is made around Xmas time mostly. When I see what others call fruit cake I am surprise.
http://www.food.com/recipe/bajan-black-cake-484430
http://soveryverythankfulblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/bajan-christmas-fruit-cake-black-cake.html

 

[ChesterV]

Ingredients:

• 1l milk
• 3 pudding mixes ( 120 gr ) vanilla
  
• 4 tbsp of sugar
  
• 250 gr margarine or butter
  
• 150 gr powdered sugar
  
• 500 ml sweet cream
  
• 300 gr raspberries
  
• 400 gr of crackers like graham crackers

Prep:

Prepare pudding mix with milk and sugar as stated on the package.

When done, remove and chill.

Whisk or beat margarine/butter with powdered sugar and mix with chilled pudding.

Whisk sweet cream and add half in pudding mixture.

Add gradually so the cream is not too thick or liquid.

Diameter of the baking dish is around 24 cm.

Cover it with baking sheets.

Dip the Graham crackers into milk and cover the bottom of the dish.

Then cover with one third of the pudding cream you already made and then put half of the raspberries and again half of the rest of the sweet cream.

After that you start again with crackers dipped in milk, third of pudding cream, raspberries and rest of the sweet cream..

The top should be a layer of Graham crackers dipped in milk.

Chill in the fridge and feel free to decorate as you want to. It should be kept in the fridge until served.

This is almost the same as a dessert here we call Banana Pudding.

We use vanilla pudding, vanilla wafer cookies, sliced bananas, and whipped cream for topping or a meringue.

 

[djordjem87]

This is almost the same as a dessert here we call Banana Pudding.

We use vanilla pudding, vanilla wafer cookies, sliced bananas, and whipped cream for topping or a meringue.

If it can stand on its own and be sliced it is probably the same. I really like these easy cakes because they are also light and easily digestive. Of course they are simply wonderful for summer time...when the living is easy Anyway, I like the idea with the glass like bowl.

 

[Diane Lane]

Ingredients:

• 1l milk
• 3 pudding mixes ( 120 gr ) vanilla
  
• 4 tbsp of sugar
  
• 250 gr margarine or butter
  
• 150 gr powdered sugar
  
• 500 ml sweet cream
  
• 300 gr raspberries
  
• 400 gr of crackers like graham crackers

Prep:

Prepare pudding mix with milk and sugar as stated on the package.

When done, remove and chill.

Whisk or beat margarine/butter with powdered sugar and mix with chilled pudding.

Whisk sweet cream and add half in pudding mixture.

Add gradually so the cream is not too thick or liquid.

Diameter of the baking dish is around 24 cm.

Cover it with baking sheets.

Dip the Graham crackers into milk and cover the bottom of the dish.

Then cover with one third of the pudding cream you already made and then put half of the raspberries and again half of the rest of the sweet cream.

After that you start again with crackers dipped in milk, third of pudding cream, raspberries and rest of the sweet cream..

The top should be a layer of Graham crackers dipped in milk.

Chill in the fridge and feel free to decorate as you want to. It should be kept in the fridge until served.

@djordjem87 This looks amazing to me, maybe even enough so that I would try to convert the measurements and give it a try.

The others look much like trifle to me. I haven't made banana pudding in years, so I didn't even realize how similar it is to banana pudding. I do love using a nice footed glass trifle dish, so the full effect of the layering can be seen.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

Ingredients:

• 1l milk
• 3 pudding mixes ( 120 gr ) vanilla
  
• 4 tbsp of sugar
  
• 250 gr margarine or butter
  
• 150 gr powdered sugar
  
• 500 ml sweet cream
  
• 300 gr raspberries
  
• 400 gr of crackers like graham crackers

Prep:

Prepare pudding mix with milk and sugar as stated on the package.

When done, remove and chill.

Whisk or beat margarine/butter with powdered sugar and mix with chilled pudding.

Whisk sweet cream and add half in pudding mixture.

Add gradually so the cream is not too thick or liquid.

Diameter of the baking dish is around 24 cm.

Cover it with baking sheets.

Dip the Graham crackers into milk and cover the bottom of the dish.

Then cover with one third of the pudding cream you already made and then put half of the raspberries and again half of the rest of the sweet cream.

After that you start again with crackers dipped in milk, third of pudding cream, raspberries and rest of the sweet cream..

The top should be a layer of Graham crackers dipped in milk.

Chill in the fridge and feel free to decorate as you want to. It should be kept in the fridge until served.

This looks yummy and delicious and I love the layering of the graham crackers and its pudding cream and the color of the cream. The ingredients are simple and it is just easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe and I will include this on my list to do baking recipes.

 

[djordjem87]

This looks yummy and delicious and I love the layering of the graham crackers and its pudding cream and the color of the cream. The ingredients are simple and it is just easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe and I will include this on my list to do baking recipes.

It is a very light and tasty treat and it is easy and fun to make. We make this in summer and I have various modifications for this one. Although berries are the best choice for this sometimes we use kiwi fruit or even peaches, apricots or pineapples. I think I will make one tomorrow.