Aunt Joan’s English Fruit Cake
📜 Collection: UK2 | ✍️ Attribution: Aunt Joan | 📂 Category: Desserts A traditional English fruitcake from Aunt Joan, flavored with Amontillado sherry. This rich, spiced cake is packed with raisins, candied fruit, and walnuts that are steeped in sherry overnight for incredible flavor.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Inactive / Chill Time | Yield / Servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 mins | 2 hours | Overnight | 1 9-inch round cake |
🔪 Key Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- 9-inch round cake tin
- Waxed paper
- Sifter
- Wooden skewer
Ingredients
| Measurements | Ingredients | Prep / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ½ Cups | Raisins | None |
| 1 Cup | Candied Fruit | None |
| ¼ lb (1 cup) | Blanched Walnuts | chopped |
| 4 Tbsp | Amontillado Sherry | divided |
| 2 Sticks (1 cup) | Butter | softened, or margarine |
| ⅔ Cup | Brown Sugar | packed |
| ½ Cup | White Sugar | None |
| 4 | Eggs | None |
| 2 2/3 Cups | Flour | all-purpose |
| ½ tsp | Nutmeg | None |
| ½ tsp | Cinnamon | None |
| ½ tsp | Salt | None |
| ½ tsp | Baking Powder | None |
Instructions
Day 1: Soak the Fruit
- In a bowl, combine the 1 ½ cups raisins, 1 cup candied fruit, and ¼ lb blanched walnuts.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the Amontillado sherry over the mixture, toss to coat, cover, and let it steep overnight at room temperature.
Day 2: Bake the Cake
- Preparation: Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake tin, then line it with two layers of greased waxed paper, allowing the paper to extend 1 inch above the rim of the tin.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, cream the 2 sticks butter with the ⅔ cup brown sugar and ½ cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the 4 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
- Stir in half of the sherry-soaked fruit mixture and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Amontillado sherry.
- Combine: In a separate bowl, sift together the 2 2/3 cups flour, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp baking powder.
- Gradually add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir.
- Add the remainder of the fruit, and then gradually add the remainder of the flour. Mix until everything is just combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Bake: Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and place it on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for about 2 hours until golden brown and fragrant. Test with a wooden skewer after 1 ½ hours; the cake is done when the skewer comes out clean.
💡 Make-Ahead & Storage: Store sealed in an airtight container in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator for up to several weeks, feeding with additional sherry periodically if desired.
Original Recipe Scan
