Butter Rum Moist Fruit Cake

A wonderfully flavoured fruit cake, sent to me from across the pond by a rellie. You can chop or change the fruit, but I would definitely recommend leaving in the dried pineapple. If you would like a simple moist rum cake, you can leave out the fruit completely.

The cake lends itself to be baked in a bundt tin, but is equally good in a loaf tin. Pre heat your fan oven to 150C. Spray or grease really well your bundt tin [or loaf]

Start the night before:

Soak 10 oz of dried mixed fruit of your choice and 4 oz of dried pineapple in 3 fl oz of rum. 

I used raisins, apricots and dried cranberries.

4 oz butter

7 oz light muscovado sugar

1 tablespoonful golden syrup

1 teaspoonful baking powder

pinch salt

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

½ teaspoonful mixed allspice

½ teaspoonful nutmeg

2 large eggs

2 fl oz buttermilk or milk

7 oz plain flour

2 fl oz rum

2 oz 3 oz chopped pecans

4 oz halved glace cherries

Glaze: 3 fl oz rum and/or brush with a light sugar syrup

In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, syru, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix together your dry ingredients. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then fold in your flour and other dry ingredients along with the milk and lastly the rum. Now add your fruit that has been soaking overnight along with the cherries and nuts.

Tip into your prepared tin and bake for approx 80-90 mins. Turn down to 130C after 45 mins. When firm and a fine knitting needle come out clean, remove from the oven and let it rest for a while.  Spoon over some of the extra rum and allow it to soak in, then spoon over a little more. Leave until the mixture has soaked in and allow it to cool some more. Invert onto a cooling rack and finally pour over the rest of the rum.

Do not cut for a few days!!! Keep your mitts off it until the flavours are allowed to mature! Wrap well and store in a cool place.

Just a wonderful fruit cake. The rum flavour shines through, so if you don’t like the flavour, this cake is not for you!

Be warned though. It does contain uncooked alcohol.