Eric Lanlard’s Light Fruit Cake

I’m a fan of Eric Lanlard’s Baking Mad program, because he’s featuring Bake Clubs of course. You only have to look at Clandestine Cake Club to see how ‘Baking Mad’ some of our members are.  Baking Mad were looking for foodie bloggers to sample bake a Light Fruit Cake recipe of Eric’s.

I received a lovely parcel of goodies from them. I just had to add a few extra ingredients myself and decided to add my own little twist on things. By soaking the Sultanas, Raisins and Candied Peel in the Lemon and Orange zest and juices overnight, this resulted in some very plump citrus flavoured fruit. This cake, I found, to be full of Citrus Flavours and very moist indeed, perhaps as a result of soaking the fruit overnight. I like this recipe and it’s one I’ll be sharing with my Clandestine Cake Club members

Here is the recipe

LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

Ingredients

300g Soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

300g Golden Caster Sugar

4 eggs

4 tsp Orange Blossom Water

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 medium oranges and 2 unwaxed Lemons

350g Plain Flour

200g Glace Cherries

200g chopped mixed peel

200g Raisins

200g Sultanas

4 tbsp Apricot Jam, seived

To decorate

Large pieces of colourful Glacé Cherries

Method: This is where I added my little twist on things.

• In a bowl add the Sultanas, Raisins, Candid Peel, grated zest and juice of the Oranges and Lemons and leave to soak overnight.

Following day.

• Preheat oven to 170c and grease and line a large (8inch) cake tin/terrine mould with baking parchment.
• Add the Orange Blossom Water to the mixed fruit from it’s overnight soaking and leave to infuse.

• Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light, pale and fluffy. Beat the 4 eggs and gradually add to the sugar butter mixture until well combined, adding about 2 tbsp of the flour at intervals to prevent curdling. This takes about 5 mins, so be patient don’t add the eggs too quickly.
• Sift the remaining flour and gradually fold this into the creamed mixture, using a spatula or large metal spoon.
• Then add the soaked fruit to the mixture until fully combined, do not beat.

• Spoon the mixture onto a prepared tin, cover the top with a sheet of baking parchment to prevent burning and bake in a preheated oven for 30 mins. After 30 mins, reduce the oven temperature to 150c and bake for a further 1.5 – 2 hours hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Leave to cool for 15 mins before removing from the tin/terrine mould. Then peel off the paper and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To decorate, glaze with some Apricot Jam which has been gently warmed through in a small pan. Cut and arrange the beautiful glacé fruits on top of the cake and finally, finish with a final glaze of Apricot Jam.

TIP:

• If not soaking the fruit, to ensure that the fruit in you cake doesn’t sink to the bottom, roll them in a couple of tablespoons of your flour and very lightly coat them, this will then prevent them from sinking. It also helps to add a little flour to the juice soaked fruit as well, before adding to the mixture.
• Covering the cake with parchment paper or silicone sheet whilst baking helps prevent the cake over cooking or burning on top.