Tuesday 6 December 2016

Coffee Fruit Cake

Shall I be controversial and say lots of people don't like fruit cake? I'm not even sure I do, but this one will change your mind.  No, really.  It has coffee; it has chocolate; it has fruit and somehow it all comes together in a moist, fruity, chocolatey bite. And even better, it is so very quick and easy to make and bake. You could even put it together for an afternoon tea if you had a few hours notice.



moist, chocolatey, fruity cake 



ingredients:


1 kg. dried fruit - your choice; I used about 400g. of sultanas, 200g. currants, 200g. sour cherries and craisins, and 200g. prunes

2 cups (500mL) strong espresso coffee, freshly made and still hot 

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (159g.) dark brown sugar 

150g. of 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped (add a 30g. Flake bar too if you feel like extra chocolate - I did!) = 180g! (optional)

2 cups (264g.) self-raising flour


Method:



Place the fruit in a large mixing bowl

Make up the coffee and pour it over the fruit

Allow to steep for at least one hour; even overnight is fine

Butter and line the base and sides of a 20cm X 20cm cake tin - mine is about 8 cm deep

Beat the eggs and sugar in a small bowl with a fork until combined

Add this mix to the large bowl, along with the chopped chocolate and the flour

Give it a good stir till well mixed

Bake in a 180C oven for about 1 hour; test with a skewer in the centre to see if it comes out clean.  If so, you know it's done; otherwise, keep checking it every 5 mins. till done

Then leave it to cool for 10 minutes in the tin; I accidentally left mine in the tin for about an hour and it was fine

Turn out onto a wire rack till completely cold

Wrap very well in baking paper and several layers of alfoil, and store in the fridge in an airtight container



Notes:


This is a recipe by Alison Alexander, a well-known Brisbane food consultant.  She devised this delicious cake for a coffee roasting house here

I soaked my fruit for about 4.5 hours and it was perfectly plump and moist.  I used 450mL of coffee and 50mL of spiced rum!

Alison suggests a 20cm X 28cm tin but I found my square tin worked perfectly, though it did need a few more minutes baking.  Depending on your oven (mine is veeery slow), it may take up to another 30 minutes to bake




coffee-soaked fruit and some of the other ingredients   




eggs and brown sugar forked together, plus chopped chocolate 




everything mixed in well





butter and line the tin with baking paper; give it a bit of a collar  





ready to bake for an hour in a 180C oven


 and cooked! not burnt, just the fruit looking a bit brown :=) 




Santa guarding his slice



I think you would agree this is an easy cake to put together, and makes you look like a champ.  I'm sure your family and friends will think you slaved over it for hours.





my plunger doodle

14 comments:

  1. I'm one of those people who don't like fruitcake but this looks like it would win me over :-)

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  2. Amazing photos. Looks great.

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  3. Oh delicious! I love variations on fruit cakes...especially when they are easier to make lol.

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  4. Sherry, I am on the list of people who don't really like fruit cake but I am going back to Perth for a week of entertaining and am about to print out the recipe. It is Christmassy enough and can be dessert for a couple of lunches. I find people (particularly women) don't like a big dessert at lunch time.

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    Replies
    1. I am glad to hear that. Let me know how you go with it.

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  5. I'm kind of a fruitcake skeptic, but adding chocolate and coffee makes this one sound more appealing. The holidays offer so many treats that it's hard for ordinary fruitcake to compete!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. hi Mae
      yes i am not a huge fan of normal fruitcake but this one is different. the coffee and chocolate make all the diff!

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  6. I really have to be in the mood for fruit cake but if it is really moist I like it. But hubby likes it in any form! This looks so good Sherry :D

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  7. Hi Sherry, I made the cake and it was very nice. So far it has starred at a dinner, a lunch and two afternoon teas and still we have more than half left. It is a big cake and very rich. Everyone likes it though. Glenda

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    Replies
    1. how wonderful that you made it glenda. it is very rich isn't it? we still have some in the fridge too. have a great xmas.

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