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Chocolate Christmas fruit cake

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Course Cakes, Slices & Breads
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams Mixed dried fruit of your choice
  • 1/2 cup Rum or brandy
  • 250 grams Unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cup Brown sugar
  • 200 grams Dark chocolate
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup Plain flour
  • 1 teas Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Soak the chopped mixed dried fruit in the rum or brandy over night or as long as possible. (I do 2 weeks-ish).
  • On day of baking grease and the line base and sides of 1 x 23cm round cake pan OR 2 x 16cm round cake pans. Pre heat oven to 150*C.
  • Add chopped butter to a large pot on low heat, then add the sugar mixing until all melted. Take off the heat to add the broken chocolate pieces, stir until melted. Add fruit and set aside to cool.
  • Once cooled add beaten eggs 1 at a time to the chocolate mix.
  • Fold in the sifted flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Make sure all is mixed in properly.
  • Bake in the prepared 1 cake tin for 2 - 2 1/2 hours OR 2 cake tins for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Test with a skewer to be sure. Cool in tin. Turn out onto a wire rack. Decorate when it's time to serve.
  • I make in muffin, cupcake or rectangle muffin loaf trays and they take approx 30-35 mins to bake. Flaked almonds on top is optional.

Notes

This is a Sunbeam dried fruits recipe I found on an aisle hanger in the grocery store about 8 years ago. It's so easy, this is the first Christmas fruit cake I tried to make, it's the only fruit cake I've ever made that turned out nice and almost brownie-ish.
My dried fruits of choice are apple, apricots, sultanas, peaches and pears.
These are lovely moist fruit cakes and because I soak the fruit a bit more generously than the recipe says, they have a great rum flavour.
There is a lot of butter in this recipe.  When you make these in muffin or cupcake papers you will notice the papers are butter soaked after baking.  I leave these papers on when storing and pop paper towel between the layers of 2 high cakes.
I double this recipe to have enough for us and for gifts.
When I wish to give away as gifts I replace the patty papers with fresh Christmas themed ones, dust with icing sugar and pop on a little Christmas decoration.   Tie each gift up in clear cellophane.
Of course if you are a wizz with icing and shapes and other ways to decorate go for it.
At the Christmas dinner table I serve on a plate and stack carefully like a pyramid on the table but a decorated platter is also an option.