How To Make Nigerian Fruit Cake

A fruit cake is a special kind of cake made with dried fruits, nuts, flour, sugar, liquor etc. usually to make a fruit cake that is to be used for an occasion, the fruit cake should be made weeks ahead of the time.

Fruitcakes can maintain its quality even if frozen for a long time, but it is best to allow it to age well before transferring it to the freezer, because cake will not mellow while they are frozen.

Fruitcakes are very delicious and is loved by most people because of its unique taste. Fruit cakes is used during celebrations like wedding, birthday party, naming ceremony, etc.

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It has a special quality just like wine. Because it tends to taste even better as time goes by, this process is called ripening. A very high quality fruit cake should last for at least over a year.

There are caterers that believe that a good fruit cake can be used for a wedding celebration and the same fruit cake can be stored and tasted by the couples offspring on his/her first birthday.

In this article I will be explaining how a good fruit cake can be made and will further enlighten you on the possibilities of making good money from cake business.

Materials needed for a fruit cake

a. Baking pan

b. Mixing bowl

c. Electric or manual mixer

d. Oven

e. Foil paper

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Ingredients for making a Nigerian fruit cake

a. 1 cup of Butter

b. 1 cup of Sugar

c. A pinch of salt

d. 3 eggs

e. 3 cups of flour

f. baking powder (1 tea spoon)

g. mixed spice

h. I teaspoon of ground cinnamon,

i. ground mixed fruits or raisins

j. vanilla essence

k. browning

l. 4 tablespoons of liquor. (brandy)

Method of preparing the fruit cake

a. Preheat your pan in the oven at 350 degrees F. rub butter inside the pan to be used for baking and set it aside.

b. In another bowl pour in the butter (partially heat the butter to avoid it from being hard so as to make the beating process easier), sugar, cinnamon, pinch of salt, vanilla and baking powder. Beat all the ingredients until it is light and fluffy.

c. Beat the eggs properly in another bowl before adding it to the mixture in the bowl, then continue beating until there is an even consistency.

d. Add the liquor eg brandy and mix until it is thoroughly mixed.

e. Add the dried fruits to the mixture, be careful not to beat the batter at this stage in order to retain the volume already created by the butter.

f. Put the dry ingredients eg flour, salt, baking powder into a separate bowl and whisk, before adding the both mixtures together.

g. Add the dry fruits into the mixture and stir for a little while.

h. Grease a clean pan with butter. Then pour the batter into the pan and try to hit the pan on a flat surface to help flatten the top or better still, using a knife, spread the excess batter evenly on the pan. (Remember not to exceed filling the pan with batter above 70% mark, the remaining 30% is the space left for the cake to rise and occupy as it bakes in the oven).

i. Bake the fruit cake at 350 F for 1 hour, to avoid the cake getting burnt you can cover the cake with foil paper.

The fruit cake should be done if after placing the long hand of a spoon or fork into the middle it comes out clean, but if it comes out greasy then it needs a little more time to get done.

j. As soon as the fruit cake gets done bring it out of the oven and allow it to cool down before cutting out a piece to eat.

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You can also go further to ice and beautify the cake based on the occasion that is being celebrated. (Don’t forget to rub brandy or substitute with any other liquor of choice on the cake after it is baked, this also adds flavour and serves as a preservative).

You can enjoy your fruit cake with a chilled cup of fruit juice or any other soft drink of choice.

Tips

a. A good fruit cake will taste better as it ages, just like a good old wine.

b. For a fruit cake to last for many years it should be soaked in liquor and buried in powdered sugar, then placed in a tightly sealed container. This will make it to last for many years.

c. Preserve the fruit cake in a deep freezer if you want to store it for a long time.

Health benefits of a fruit cake

a. A fruit cake helps to supply enough fibre, vitamins and Minerals.

b. It is a good source of antioxidant

c. It helps to reduce the risk of a heart disease

d. It gives energy to the body

e. It can serve as appetizer.

If peradventure you decide to take baking of fruit cakes as a business then you can be sure of the following;

a. People will definitely patronize you because cakes are used for virtually every occasion.

b. Fruit cakes tend to last long, hence customers can buy them and store in their freezer to eat periodically or serve it to guests on special occasions.

c. You can bake your cake from the comfort of your home, so you might not necessarily need to go large scale.

d. Fruit cake has a good storage advantage.

Read Also: How To Make Cake Fondant

If you have never considered taking fruit cake baking lessons you can do that now. Or get a good caterer than can teach you at the comfort of your home, or better still use the internet as a guide to the step by step process of baking fruit cake.

If you are yet to get married, you can ask for a fruit cake to be baked for your wedding, and store part of it so that all your children can also taste your wedding cake.

Which is a splendid idea. This will also give you a special feeling of satisfaction that your children all tasted your wedding cake. Funny right?

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