Photography John Paul Urizar, Styling Yael Grinham
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 130°C (fan-forced). Grease an 18cm (base measurement) round cake tin with cooking oil spray. Line base and sides with a double layer of baking paper, allowing paper to extend about 3cm above rim of tin. Adjust oven rack so top of tin will sit in centre of oven.
Place dried fruit, cranberries and fig in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in fruit spread, apple, orange rind and juice, and brandy. Set aside for 15 minutes to soak. Stir in eggs.
Sift flour, cocoa, and spices into fruit mixture, adding husks from flour to bowl. Stir until well combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared tin, pressing in firmly with back of a spoon. Smooth surface and tap tin on benchtop a few times to settle mixture. Cover with foil to prevent cake browning too quickly, then bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for a further 1¼ hours or until cooked when tested with a skewer and cake is firm to the touch in middle. Trim overhanging paper and wrap cake, still in tin, in 2 tea towels (to help keep it moist as it cools). Set aside overnight to cool completely. Serve.
To decorate cake, if you like, cut out a stencil in a shape such as a snowflake. Place on cake and dust with icing sugar.
The recipe makes 35 portions (as an occasional snack).
This fruit cake will keep for up to one month in an airtight container or frozen for up to 2 months. To help with portion control, wrap individual serves in plastic wrap.
Cook’s Notes:
Nutritional information
PER SERVE : 422kJ, protein 1.8g, total fat 0.8g (sat. fat 0.2g), cholesterol 16.1mg, carbs 19.1g, fibre 2.4g, sodium 57.8mg. Carb exchanges: 1¼. GI estimate: low. Gluten-free option.
