Skip to main content

Apricot & Sultana Fruit Cake


It's the month of December and as X'mas is not too far away, I made this Apricot & Sultana Fruit Cake which can be made early  and giveaway as a gift to relatives and friends during this festive season.  This cake keeps well and yummy with a cuppa of plain hot tea for breakfast, tea party or snack.





 



Recipe for Apricot and Sultana Fruit Cake

    Ingredients
    • 13.1/2 oz dried apricot, chopped
    • 9 oz sultanas, chopped
    • 8  Tbsp orange Cointreau
    • 12 oz butter/margarine
    • 5 oz vanilla/caster sugar
    • Zest of 3 oranges
    • Zest of 1.1/2 lemon
    • 6 eggs
    • 6 oz plain flour
    • 3/4 tsp baking powder
    • 6.3/4 oz almond meal
    Method
    1. Combine chopped apricots and sultanas with Cointreau in a bowl and set aside.  You can keep this in the fridge, covered, overnight.
    2. Sift flour with the baking powder, set aside.
    3. Cream butter, sugar, zest till light, creamy and thick.  Add in the eggs one @ a time, mix well after each addition.
    4. Fold sifted flour into the creamed mixture.
    5. Add in the apricot and sultanas mixture in 3 batches, mix well.
    6. Fold in the almond meal in 3 batches, mix well, scraping from the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl.
    7. Spoon cake batter into a lightly greased and paper lined 8 inch round  spring-form cake pan.
    8. Level the surface and make a slight depression in the center, drop the pan on the worktop from a height of  2 inches.
    9. Bake in a preheated oven @ 160 deg C for 40 to 50 mins. till golden brown.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
    10. Remove from oven, let cool in pan before unmoulding onto a wire rack to cool completely.
    11. Wrap up with foil and keep the cake, covered in the refrigerator.
    12. Yield :  Two -  8 inch  round cakes.



Labels:

Comments

  1. Baking DiaryDecember 3, 2012 at 12:57 PM

    Wow! Very yummy looking, I love fruitcakes because of the fact that they keep well too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. KatarinaDecember 3, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    Looks like a tasty and moist cake!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mich - Piece of CakeDecember 3, 2012 at 4:38 PM

    Your fruit cake looks so good, makes me inspired to do some as well...

    ReplyDelete
  4. KimmyDecember 3, 2012 at 6:10 PM

    Hi Cheah, I'm not a fan of butter cakes but I definitely wouldn't mind eating a cake like this cos' of the dried fruits and orange flavour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahDecember 4, 2012 at 10:45 AM

      I see, but this cake does not have a very buttery taste because of the dried fruits.

      Delete
  5. Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak LoverDecember 3, 2012 at 6:38 PM

    a festive kind of cake and perfect to giveaway..

    ReplyDelete
  6. ann lowDecember 3, 2012 at 10:38 PM

    Cheah, I love cake with lots of dried fruits like yours. Looks so delicious and nice clicks too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahDecember 4, 2012 at 10:49 AM

      Thank you, Ann, Need to improve on my photography skills!

      Delete
  7. AnonymousDecember 4, 2012 at 12:35 AM

    Hi Cheah, I can't wait to make this fruitcake, surely delicious! What is almond meal and how can I convert the measurements to grams? Thanks for reply. Pauline

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahDecember 4, 2012 at 10:53 AM

      Hi, Pauline, thanks for visiting. Almond meal is fine grounded almonds. You can go to my blog and at the bottom, right, you can see 'Useful Links', there's a 'Conversion Table' and other tips relating to baking, etc.

      Delete
  8. MaryMohDecember 4, 2012 at 2:19 AM

    That looks very moist and the colour is beautiful. I have not started baking for Christmas yet. Always a last-minute person!.....*sigh*. Playing too much everyday....hehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahDecember 4, 2012 at 10:55 AM

      Yes, too much badminton. Never mind, doing things last minute can be more fun!

      Delete
  9. Yummy BakesDecember 4, 2012 at 2:09 PM

    Wow ... a lot of fruits. Can make this for Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousDecember 4, 2012 at 8:48 PM

    Hello, I am lee here. Your cake looks tempting & delicious, i will try to make it soon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownDecember 5, 2012 at 12:44 AM

    I'll try yr recipe. Tq.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahDecember 6, 2012 at 11:47 AM

      Thank you and please give me some feedback after that!

      Delete
  12. AmeliaDecember 5, 2012 at 11:58 AM

    Hi Cheah, love your delicious fruit cake, very well baked. The texture look very moist.

    Have a nice week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  13. mui muiDecember 6, 2012 at 12:56 AM

    Cheah,
    This is prefect for festive gifts!
    I always Love fruit cakes and yours looks so delish.
    May I know how thick is one cake?
    Thanks:)
    mui..^^

    ReplyDelete
  14. lenaDecember 6, 2012 at 10:15 PM

    i think this must be great with cointreau too! I've never baked a fruit cake before!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sokehah cheahDecember 7, 2012 at 1:52 PM

      It's also the first time I made a fruit cake with Cointreau. You can also opt for Brandy or Rum if you like.

      Delete
  15. AnonymousJuly 15, 2013 at 9:50 PM

    Cake looks so moist and very tasty.....could you use orange juice instead of Cointreau, as know someone who would love this but doesn't drink alcohol.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for dropping by. Please click on 'Anonymous' if you do not have a blog but do leave your name after the comment because I would like to know who you are.

Popular posts from this blog

Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕

  Natural Wild Tragacanth Gum 'Snow Swallow' or Xue Yan is a gum derived from different varieties of sterculia trees.  It's actually a sap drained from the root of the plant and  the gum dries as it exudes and is then collected.  Once rehydrated will increase to about ten times in size and their white stringy, jelly like strands texture resembles that of the much prized and highly valued bird's nest.  One thing to take note when cooking this dessert is that the gum is highly soluble in water and cannot be boiled too long. Since it is 'cooling' for our internal organs, the elderlies should take this in moderation and not recommended for nursing mums for the breast milk may cause the baby to purge. Snow Swallow Dessert  ~   天然野生雪燕 Ingredients 8 gm Snow Swallow gums 10 gm red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm dried longan Rock or piece sugar to taste 1 litre water Pandan leaves (optional) Method Soak the Snow Swallow gums in plenty of water for at least...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam) ~ 亚参五花肉

A very appetising dish with tangy and robust flavour of tamarind juice, red and green chillies added more oomph to the dish.  This dish will surely whet your appetite and you'll go for second helping of rice to soak up the tangy gravy.  This is a Peranakan dish but as always, there are many varieties to this delicacy.  I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit what I have in my pantry and the end result is a very yummy dish that I will not hesitate to whip up again and again. Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam)  ~   亚参 五花肉 Ingredients 450 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3 shallots, finely chopped 30 gm tamarind pulp (Assam paste)  + 250 ml water 3 green chillies 2 red chillies 2 tsp tau cheong (preserved bean paste) 2 tsp dark soya sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fish sauce 1 onion, sliced Method Mix the tamarind pulp with a cup of...
3 comments
Read more

Double boiled Black chicken soup

This chicken soup is slightly different from the normal good old chicken soup as it's double-boiled with black chicken.  Flavoured with traditional Chinese herbs like sweet wolfberries /goji berries/Boxthorn fruits, Ginseng aka 'Pau Sum' in Cantonese and Yuzhu aka Solomon's seal rhizome/polygonatum, this soup is believed to be invigorating and nutritious.  According to the Chinese, the black chicken has curative value and it's above that of white chicken meat as the former has less fat. A short introduction to the traditional Chinese herbs.  'Pau Sum' helps to increase energy, enhance healthy blood circulation and also boost the immune system. Wolfberries   helps to improve vision and  nourish the lungs and kidneys. Yuzhu helps to treat dry throat, dry cough, promote production of body fluid and relieve dryness syndrome.  
14 comments
Read on for the Recipe