Aino’s Heavenly English Fruitcake Recipe

Aino’s English Fruitcake Recipe

Overview:

Aino, my Finnish mother-in-law, has perfected this delightful English fruitcake recipe, adapting it to her exquisite taste. This cake, unlike any other English cake I’ve tasted, gets better with each passing day, making it perfect for Christmas or any special occasion. It’s rich, flavorful, and worth every moment spent baking it.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 1 cake

Ingredients:

• 200g butter
• 25g currants
• 25g raisins
• 200g all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 175g candied fruit
• 1 packet vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

Instructions:

1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to approximately 180-190°C (350-375°F).

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2. Prepare Currants: Rinse the currants under cold water until they are moist, then drain them well.

3. Prepare Cake Form: Grease a crown-shaped cake form (with a “chimney” in the middle), approximately 20cm (8 inches) in diameter and 8cm (3 inches) high, with butter. Coat the greased form evenly with breadcrumbs by shaking them around.

4. Prepare Flour Mixture: In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour and baking powder together.

5. Combine Candied Fruit: In another bowl, combine the candied fruit with the flour mixture, ensuring the fruit is evenly coated.

6. Prepare Sugar Mixture: Mix the sugar with the vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract) in a separate bowl.

7. Cream Butter: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter with half of the sugar mixture using an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and fluffy.

8. Beat Eggs: In another bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining half of the sugar mixture until they become fluffy and pale in color.

9. Combine Mixtures: Slowly add the beaten egg mixture to the creamed butter mixture, ensuring to mix well after each addition. The resulting mixture should be light and foamy.

10. Incorporate Flour Mixture: Once the butter, egg, and sugar mixture is foamy, stop beating and add the flour mixture all at once (or in two batches for easier incorporation).

11. Fold in Flour: Using two forks, gently fold the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture using an up and down motion. Be careful not to overmix; stop folding as soon as there are no dry flour bits visible.

12. Transfer to Cake Form: Spoon the batter into the prepared cake form, smoothing the surface with the back of the spoon.

13. Bake: Place the cake form on the lower shelf of the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 1 hour at 180-190°C (350-375°F), or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

14. Cool and Serve: Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the form for about 10-15 minutes. Then, carefully transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

15. Storage: Aino’s English fruitcake tastes even better after a day or two, so store it in an airtight container once completely cooled. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information (Per Serving):

• Calories: 3204.5
• Total Fat: 178.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 107.1g
• Cholesterol: 1061.9mg
• Sodium: 1748.7mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 369.2g
  • Dietary Fiber: 7.5g
  • Sugars: 213.6g
• Protein: 42.3g

This English fruitcake is a labor of love, combining traditional flavors with Aino’s personal touch. Perfect for festive occasions or simply to indulge in a slice with a cup of tea, it’s a recipe worth treasuring and sharing with loved ones.