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Prep

1 HR

Bake

2.5 hrs

Serves

8 to 10

Difficulty

Medium

About

This traditional Easter fruit cake is topped with home-made almond paste – with 11 balls to represent the faithful disciples, so make sure you count correctly!

made using

Light Muscovado

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Instructions
Ingredients
Reviews

Watch video instructions or scroll for step-by-step

Step 1

Put the dried fruit and glace cherries into a large mixing bowl. Pour over boiling water to cover, then soak for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly through a colander. Tip the fruit back into the bowl and stir in the dark rum or brandy. Cover and leave in a cool place for up to 2 days, though at least overnight.

Step 2

Position an oven shelf in the centre of the oven, with space for the cake. Preheat the oven to 150°C, Fan oven 130°C, Gas Mark 2. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Step 3

In a very large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using a hand-held electric mixer or wooden spoon. Gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well between each addition.

Step 4

Sift the flour, salt and ground mixed spice into the mixing bowl. Use a large metal spoon to fold the ingredients together – ditch the wooden spoon and avoid beating the mixture at this stage – you need to treat it gently!

Step 5

Add the ground almonds with the grated zest and juice from the lemon and orange. Remember to take care when you grate the zest from citrus fruit – you just want the coloured part. If you grate into the white pith you will be adding bitterness, rather than flavour.

Step 6

Give the soaked dried fruit a stir, then tip it into the cake mixture, along with any residual liquid. Stir it in thoroughly.

Step 7

Tip the mixture into the cake tin and level the top. Bake for 2 hours. Test that the cake is cooked by inserting a fine skewer into the centre – it should come out clean. Stand the cake on a wire rack and leave it to cool in the tin. When cold, remove from the tin and wrap in baking paper. Store in an airtight tin, or decorate immediately.

Step 8

For the almond paste, mix the almonds and icing sugar together. Add the egg white and lemon juice, mix to a stiff paste, and knead until smooth. Roll out half this almond paste on a surface dusted with icing sugar and trim to a 20cm circle. Brush the surface of the cake with warm apricot jam and position the almond paste on top. Score a criss-cross pattern over the surface with a skewer.

Step 9

Roll the remaining paste into 11 equal-sized balls and position them around the cake. Grill lightly, or use a cook’s blowtorch to lightly brown the surface. Tie ribbon around the cake, to decorate, then serve.

TOP TIP

Don't worry if you don't have a blow torch in your kitchen; you can just pop it under the grill for a little bit instead to give the cake a warming glow!

Ingredients – 14 items

Serving

1

For the cake

Dried fruit

Dried fruit

Mixed

1 kg

Glace cherry

Halved

200 g

Rum

100 ml
Butter

Butter

Plus a little extra for greasing

150 g
Fairtrade Light Muscovado

Fairtrade Tate & Lyle Light Muscovado Sugar

150 g
Eggs

Large eggs

4
Flour

Plain flour

200 g
Salt-table

Salt

1/4 tsp
Mixed-spice

Ground mixed spice

2 tsp

Ground almonds

75 g
Lemon-zest

Zest of one lemon

1
Lemon-juice

Juice of one lemon

1
Orange

Medium orange, juiced & zested

1

For the decoration

Ground almonds

250 g
Fairtrade Cane Icing Sugar

Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Icing Sugar

250 g
Eggs

Large eggs

Separated

1
Lemon-juice

Lemon juice

1 tsp

Apricot jam

Warmed in a pan or microwave for a few seconds

2 tbsp

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Ingredients

2 Large Oranges
225ml Olive Oil
200g Ground Almonds
120g Polenta
1 tsp Baking Powder
3 Large Eggs
200g Tate & Lyle Caster Sugar
Semi Dried Oranges Slices 
Scented Thyme Leaves

Method

Peel one of the oranges removing the pith and chop finely, place in a bowl with the juice, to one side.
Heat the oven to 180c/160c Fan/Gas Mark 4.
Mix the almonds, polenta, baking powder in a bowl.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy, gradually pour in the olive oil once incorporated fold in the finely chopped orange, mix well and add the dry ingredients.
Pour the cake batter into a greased and lined 23cm round tin. Bake for approx. 55 minutes, use a skewer to test whether the cake is cooked, it should come out clean if it is, if not cook for a further 5-10 minutes.
Cool on a cooling rack.
Slice the other orange finely and place the slices on a baking tray in the oven at 180c fan /Gas mark 6 for 8-10 minutes.
Allow to cool and decorate the cooled cake with the slices and some thyme sprigs.
There's a reason Tate & Lyle is Trusted By The Best. 

Because we're the high-quality cane sugar you can always count on, no matter what the recipe calls for!

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