A delicious. online exclusive recipe: this rich chocolate fruit cake is packed with chocolate chunks. We’ve decorated it in a traditional way, but you can just dust it with cocoa and chocolate truffles or sugar eggs if you prefer. A wonderful Easter treat.
Ingredients
- 200g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 225g light muscovado sugar
- 4 eggs
- 225g plain flour
- 50g, cocoa powder, sifted
- 100g plain chocolate, chopped
- 125g glace cherries, chopped
- 200g sultanas
- 200g raisins
- 50g candied orange peel, chopped
- 75g chopped almonds or brazil nuts
- 1 tsp mixed spice
For the decoration
- 250g natural colour marzipan
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- Brown food colouring
- Fresh lilac pansies or sugar flowers
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 160c/fan140c/gas 3. Grease and line a deep 20cm round cake tin with baking paper. Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat well until pale and creamy.
- 2. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture curdles. Stir in all the remaining cake ingredients to make a soft mixture. Mix well and spoon into the lined cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 150c/fan130c/gas 2 and bake for a further 11/2 hours, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 1 hour then turn out and allow to cool completely.
- 3. Reserve a small piece of marzipan for the ribbon, then divide the remainder into 3 and roll into long thin ropes about 40cm long. Plait the three together and wrap around the top of the cake.
- 4. Mix the icing sugar together with 1-2 teaspoons water or enough to make a smooth thick icing. Pour onto the centre of the cake and allow to set. Roll out the remaining piece of marzipan and cut into a ribbon shape. Using food colouring, paint ‘simnel’ on the centre of the marzipan and place on the top of the cake. Decorate with flowers.