MannaBrew Fruit Cake

Makes 4 individual cakes

Difficulty: Moderate
Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes (+ 30 minutes soaking)
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Soaked fruit

• 410 ml MannaBrew, strongly brewed and cooled
• 70 g currants
• 60 g dried apricots, chopped
• 50 g candied orange peel, chopped
• 40 g candied cherries, chopped

Cake batter

• 75 g salted butter, softened

• 100 g dark muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)

• 10 ml molasses (or dark treacle)

• 1 large egg, whisked

• 5 ml (1 tsp) lemon zest

• 5 ml (1 tsp) orange zest

• 180 g flour, sieved

• 40 g MannaBrew Mesquite Flour

• 1.5 g (½ tsp) bicarbonate of soda

• 1.5 g (½ tsp) ground allspice

• 1.5 g (½ tsp) ground cinnamon

• 1 g (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg

• 1 g (¼ tsp) salt

Brandy Syrup

• 80 g granulated sugar

• 160 ml brandy

• Reserved liquid from the soaked fruit

Decoration

• 140 g marzipan

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the Fruit: In a bowl, combine the dried fruits (currants, apricots, candied orange, and cherries) with the 410 ml of cooled brewed MannaBrew. Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.

2. Prepare Oven & Tins: Preheat the oven to 160°C. Lightly grease four 7 cm x 2.5 cm round cake tins.

3. Cake Batter: In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, dark muscovado sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes). Whisk in the egg, lemon zest, and orange zest.

4. Sift the flour, MannaBrew Mesquite Flour, bicarbonate of soda, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a separate bowl.

5. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.

6. Strain the soaked fruit, reserving the liquid for the syrup. Fold the drained fruit into the cake batter until evenly distributed.

7. Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the four prepared tins. Bake at 160°C for 40 minutes (or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean). Transfer to a wire rack.

8. Brandy Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the reserved MannaBrew soaking liquid with the granulated sugar. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the brandy, then pour the warm syrup evenly over the warm fruit cakes while they are still in their tins or on a rimmed tray.

9. Decorate: Roll the marzipan out on a surface dusted with icing sugar to a thickness of 2 mm. Using a 7 cm round cutter, cut out 4 discs. (Optional: press a decorative cookie stamp into each disc).

10. Once the cakes have cooled completely and absorbed the syrup, place a marzipan disc on top of each cake before serving.

TIP:To create a diamond lattice pattern on the marzipan without a stamp, press soft diagonal lines into the surface using a palette knife, then rotate the knife 90 degrees and press again.