King Charles III Favourite Fruit Cake

King Charles III Favourite Fruit Cake Recipe
timer

Time

3 ½ hours (+ overnight soak)

difficulty

Difficulty

Easy

serving

Makes

1 Cake

You'll never want to eat another fruitcake again once you've tried this delicious tea-soaked fruitcake fit for any royal. My Kitchen Drawer has created a recipe packed full of dried fruit, soaked in tea overnight and flavoured with treacle, vanilla, and nutmeg whilst the ground almonds, glace cherries and mixed peel offer more taste and a wonderful texture.

450g mixed fruit (currants, raisins and sultanas)

300ml Whittard Regal Blend Tea, cold

150g unsalted butter, soft

150g dark muscovado sugar

4 eggs, large

225g plain flour

1 tbsp treacle

¼ tsp nutmeg

¾ tsp mixed spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

100g glace cherries

75g mixed peel

110g ground almonds

12 hours before baking

  1. Brew up 300ml Whittard Regal Blend Tea and leave it to cool down
  2. Add 450g mixed fruit to a large bowl the add the cooled tea and mix it through
  3. Leave the fruits to soak for 12 hours or overnight.

For the fruit cake

  1. Line an 8x3 inch cake pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3.
  2. Cream the unsalted butter and dark muscovado sugar together until smooth
  3. Add one egg followed by ¼ of the flour and mix to combine. Repeat with remaining eggs and flour until they're mixed through well.
  4. Stir through the treacle, nutmeg, mixed spice, vanilla and baking powder then drain the fruits into a large bowl and add them to the bowl with the ground almonds, glace cherries and mixed peel. Keep the drained liquid to once side.
  5. Fold everything together carefully until it is all fully incorporated then pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and smooth it out.
  6. Bake for 2 ½ hours until dark golden brown, then remove from the oven.
  7. Poke some holes in the top of the fruit cake and drizzle over some of the remaining drained tea liquid the leave to cool for 30 minutes.
  8. Glaze the top with some vanilla and honey then top with some flaked almonds before slicing.
  9. Enjoy a slice of fruit cake with a cup of Regal Blend Tea.