Australian Fruitcake Recipes

Steps:

• PREHEAT the oven to 180°C.
• Butter a 23cm cake tin, preferably one with a removable base, and sprinkle with the dried breadcrumbs.
• Dust off excess crumbs and set tin aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to incorporate the ingredients.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder together and with a wooden spoon mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture with the milk and vanilla paste (and almond extract if using), stirring only enough to incorporate.
• Spoon half the batter into the tin and carefully spoon in the fresh fruit on top of the batter. Then spoon the second half of the batter over the fruit. Don't worry if the batter does not completely cover the fruit. During the cooking process, it will spread and the fruit will be encased in the cake.
• Bake in a pre-heated 180C oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and stand for 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the cake tin.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar.

Steps:

• Combine the first 4 ingredients in a big bowl.
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes on HIGH, stirring once.
• Allow to cool slightly.
• Stir in eggs and essence.
• Add dry ingredients.
• Pour into a greased and lined 20 cm square cake tin or novel cake tin.
• Place on low rack.
• Bake for 40 minutes on LOW MIX/BAKE at 160 deg Celsius.

Steps:

• Wash and dry the raisins and the currants. Wash, dry, pit, and chop the dates. Chop the raisins and the citrus peel. Slice the cherries. Blanch the almonds, and slice them lengthwise. Combine fruits and nuts in large bowl.
• Grease and line 3 standard Christmas cake pans (these round pans are at least 3 inches deep and come in a set of three sizes- 5, 7, and 9 inch across) with 4 layers of heavy waxed paper, or 3 layers of brown paper. Grease again. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices onto a piece of waxed paper. Remove 1 cup of this flour mixture, and combine with fruit and nuts. Mix until fruit is well coated.
• Cream the butter until fluffy. Add extracts. Gradually add sugar, mixing until creamy. Beat egg yolks until light and lemon-colored, and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the molasses, and beat together well. Add half of the remaining flour mixture, and blend thoroughly.
• Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into batter. Stir in lightly the remaining flour mixture alternately with grape juice and coffee. Add floured fruit and nuts, blending in until fruit is well distributed.
• Turn batter into prepared cake tins, filling each about 2/3 full and spreading batter evenly. Bake in center of oven. Bake small cake 2 1/2 hours, medium cake 3 1/2 hours, and large cake 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to cool.