The longer you allow this dense, dark fruitcake to mature, the better it will be. Trust us—it’s worth the wait. If you opt to mature it for longer than 3 months, you may need extra rum for drizzling.
MAKES one 9-inch cake; 16 servings
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
SOAKING TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: about 2 hours
MATURING TIME: at least 3 months
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 ¼ cups dried figs, finely chopped
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 2 cups dried apricots, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups dark or golden raisins
- 1 ½ cups chopped mixed candied or dried fruit (cherries, pineapple and/or dates)
- 1 cup firmly packed demerara-style sugar
- 1 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup spiced dark rum
- 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
- 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (1 to 2 lemons)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1 ⅓ cups plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond meal or almond flour
- ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted (see this page) and finely ground
- 2 tsp mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- Additional spiced dark rum
FOR MATURING THE CAKE:
- ¾ cup spiced dark rum
ALMOND ICING:
- 1 ½ cups icing sugar, sifted
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 4 tsp white corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp almond extract
- 6 to 7 tsp whipping cream (35%)
BAKING DAY SECRETS:
- Any dried fruit can be used in this classic fruitcake, so feel free to change up the combo according to what you have in your cupboard. As for nuts, almonds, pecans, or walnuts can be substituted for the hazelnuts.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- VANILLA FRUIT MIXTURE
- Using a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape the seeds out into a large saucepan, then drop in the pod.
- Add all the dried and candied fruits, sugar, crystallized ginger, butter, the 1 cup of rum, orange zest and juice, and lemon zest and juice to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract. Tip the mixture into a large bowl. Set aside to soak, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, then discard the vanilla pod.
- CAKE BATTER
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Grease a deep 9-inch round baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a double-layered circle of parchment paper, then line the sides with a double-layered strip of parchment paper that extends 2 inches above the edge of the pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, ground hazelnuts, mixed spice, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and egg mixtures to the cooled fruit mixture. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir until well combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, tapping the pan lightly on the work surface to eliminate any pockets of air. Use an offset spatula to smooth
