Rich Fruit Cake for a Merry Christmas

Fruit Cake is a "must have" for Christmas, has that wonderful combination of nuts and dried fruits with barely enough cake batter to hold it all together. What sets a real cake apart is  the alcohol (usually brandy, sometimes rum). This gives the Fruit Cake a subtle brandy flavor and a moist texture, plus it also allows the cake to be stored for ages and ages. 

My recipe is just below:

Fruit Cake:

1 cup  unsalted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons brandyplus extra for brushing the cake

Juice and zest (outer orange skin) of one orange

Zest (outer yellow skin) of one lemon

1cup of any kind of nuts ( no groundnuts)

1 big pack of assortment of dried fruits (preferably Big Sister)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

salt

Soak fruits in achohol overnight or longer. The longer you soak the fruits,they better they taste in the cake. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the juice and zest of the orange, and zest of the lemon.

Adding of the fragrant orange zest...

Then fold in the chopped nuts, and all the dried and candied fruits. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and fold this into the cake batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for1 hour.  I could not remember the temperature I used but I basically followed the manual of the oven. Bake for about 1 hr 30 minutes or until a long skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

 Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely. Wrap the cake thoroughly in aluminum foil.This cake will keep several weeks or it can be frozen.

This is just my recipe but there  are many fruit cake recipes on the net and you choose any one that suits you. Just go with the flow and experiment, that is how I got my cake done, and my mom loved it!