Pictures of the Ceylon Rich Fruit Cake

The rich fruit cake finally came out of the oven after 10 hours baking and I have taken pictures of the cake.  Meanwhile, I have injected the cake with nearly 100 ml [19 teaspoons] of VSOP!

The bottom of the cake - beautiful brown colour after 10 hours of baking and the cake is not burnt. 

The side of the cake - it looks the fruits are spread evenly 

The top of the cake - interesting texture on the top of the cake, perhaps due to the effect of the whisked egg whites. 

I find it very surprising only 8 oz of fine semolina is enough to set the cake.  If I were to make an English fruit cake, I would use a lot more flour for the same amount of ingredients.  Some people say semolina is capable of soaking up lots of liquid and perhaps this is really true.  

Ceylon Rich Fruit Cake

I have always made English rich fruit cakes but I have been helping my neighbour, Dr Marie Wilson, to make Sri Lankan Christmas cake for a few years.  I have therefore decided to adapt Dr Marie's recipe for my purpose and below is a list of ingredients which I have used to make a rich Ceylon fruit cake.

        250 g / ½ lb raisins

        350 g / ¾ lb sultanas

        250 g / ½ lb glacé cherries[i]

        250 g / ½ lb glacé pumpkin[ii]

        250 g / ½ lb dried apricots

        1 jar ginger in syrup[iii]

        ½ jar jar chow chow[iv]

        250 g / ½ lb glacé melon

        150 g / 5 oz candied orange peel[v]

        125 g / ¼ lb diced cashew nuts

        250 g / ½ lb butter

        310 g / 10 oz sugar - 4 oz dark muscovado sugar and 6 oz caster sugar

        250 g / ½ lb fine semolina[vi]

        12 large egg yolks

        6 egg whites - 1 US cup of egg whites 

        3 tbsp golden syrup

        2 tbsp honey

        ½ jar fine orange shred marmalade 370 g jar

        2 tsp vanilla extract

        2 tsp vanilla paste

        1 tsp orange oil

        2 tsp mixed spices

        ½ fleshly ground nutmeg

        1 cup brandy or whisky + more for preserving[vii]

        340 g/ 12 oz jar apricot conserve for glazing cake + marzipan for covering the cake 

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[i] Use French Provincial glacé cherries 

[ii]  Gracé pumpkin is known as Petha in Indian – available from Southall Sri Lankan shop

[iii] Jar size 350 g & 190 g drained weight. Do not use the syrup for the cake

[iv] Jar size 375 g & 9 oz drained weight. Do not use the syrup for the cake

[v] Made from 4 large Navel oranges – syrup made from 3 cups sugar and 1 cup water.  Boil the orange peel in water twice and drain.  Then simmer in syrup for 45 minutes, then roll the peel in sugar and allow to dry for 5 hours on cooling rack before packing away, which will make 350 g candied peel

[vi] Don’t use super fine or coarse semolina.  Dry fry the semolina until slightly brown in medium heat and allow to cool over night.

[vii] For preserving the cake, feed the cake with whisky or brandy or any spirit every week for three months.  If kept for less than three months, feed the cake twice a week – requires 12 feedings.  Allow 5 days since the last feeding before packaging the cake into pieces. 

Notes:  You will notice that only 8 ozs of fine semolina is used.  If I were to make an English fruit cake with the above ingredients, I would use a lot more flour and a lot less eggs.  

Method

1.    Prepare the candied orange peel from 4 oranges

2.    Chop the vine fruits and soak in 1 cup brandy for a week

3.    Cream the butter with 4 oz dark muscovado sugar and add in the egg yolks one at a time

4.    Fold in the spices, flavours, half jar of marmalade into the butter mixture

5.    Whisk the egg white and then add 6 oz caster sugar and whisk until stiff peaks and set aside

6.    Fold in the whisked egg whites into the batter

7.    Mix the semolina with the dried fruits

8.    Fold in the soaked diced dried fruits into the cake mixture

9.    Pour the cake mixture into a heavily lined 10 inch square baking tin

10. Bake at 120 C convectional oven, bottom shelf, on top of a pizza stone, with the sides of tin protected until the cake is cooked, and this took over 10 hours

11. When the cake has cooled, drizzle ¼ cup brandy on the cake and store the cooked cake for 12 weeks, feeding the cake every two weeks.

12. Break the cake up and add ½ cup brandy to the broken up cake mixture – mix the brandy well making sure all the cake pieces is moist

13. Form the cakes into presentation size pieces [perhaps 2 by 3 inches] with a thin layer of marzipan on the top, secure by apricot jam

14. Wrap in parchment paper and tissue paper and secure in cellophane bags and store the pieces of cake for at least a couple of weeks before serving.

15. The cake should make about 60 pieces 

Dr Marie would bake her cake for about 4 hours.  However, I started baking the cake in a preheated oven at 11:40 pm last night and it is now 9:20 am the next day and the cake is still not cooked.  So for point 10 - I would say bake the cake until it is cooked - the duration of baking depends on your oven.

When the cake is baked and I have put the marzipan on the cake, I will take a picture or two to share with you.