Story Of My Dad’s Fruit Cake - Chef Cynthia Louise
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Fruit Cake Is What Reminds Me Most Of My Dad

This is the story of my dad’s fruit cake.

Dad loved fruit cake. He would buy it all year round, keep it in the fridge and have a slice every now and then with his cuppa. Makes me smile just writing that sentence. One day dad told me a wonderful story about how his mum would make a one-pound fruit cake, (this is the exact one that’s in my Christmas Feast Class) wrap it in baking paper, put it in a tight-fitting tin, and ask my dad to weld the sides shut.

She would send it off to her other sons and daughters that were all in the war (dad was the youngest so he couldn’t go). A little later in his late teens, he went to PNG for a job as a welder and a panel beater. This is where I grew up. In a small coastal town called Lae in Papua New Guinea.

This story was about my Dad’s connection to fruit cake. A food memory that lives inside of him via his Mum’s baking. Food is powerful. It has the ability to turn back time and remind us of the smell and taste of days gone by. It has a magical gift of connecting us instantly to people, places, and things, and in doing so it keeps these memories alive.

Christmas Feast

Fruit cake is one of the things that symbolizes Christmas. And aside from this fruit cake recipe, my Christmas Feast includes recipes that have the entire Christmas holiday dinner and in between covered. Plean ahead, as Christmas will now be fast approaching.

fruit cake

Dad’s Fruit Cake Recipe!

~INGREDIENTS~

 

  • 250g golden raisins, roughly chopped
  • 250g currants, roughly chopped
  • 250g sultanas, roughly chopped
  • 200ml brandy
  • 150ml rice bran oil
  • 250g coconut sugar
  • 30g chia seeds, ground
  • 120g breadcrumbs

  • 125g white spelt flour
  • 5g salt
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 10g allspice
  • 200ml any plant milk
  • 150g walnuts
  • 100ml #PRESENTS

~METHOD~

The night before, add the dried fruits to a bowl, pour in the brandy, push the fruits down until they are fully covered. Set aside overnight to soak.

The next day, preheat your oven to 140C / 284F.

Line around 20.5cm x 6.5cm cake tin with baking paper and set aside.

Transfer the soaked fruits to a big bowl and add all the other ingredients except for the walnuts.

Fold gently until the ingredients are well combined.

Transfer to the prepared tin and press down until the mixture comes together into a solid shape.

Decorate with the walnuts and place a tray filled with water in the oven while the cake is baking to create moisture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

When the cake is ready, let it cool down before serving.

This can be made 2 weeks in advance..but be warned you will want to eat it. keep it wrapped in an airtight container so it does not dry out. 

***

* Makes around 12-16 slices
Prep time: 5 mins
Soaking time:
overnight
Baking Time :
1 h 20 mins
Freezer Friendly:
No

R, DF, RSF, V

This recipe reminds me of you Dad. I miss you so very much and you will be forever in my heart and mind.

See you in the comment section of my YouTube channel and let me know how you go with my dad’s fruit cake.

With love from my kitchen to yours,

Chef Cynthia Louise xx


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About the Author

Chef Cynthia Louise is an Internationally acclaimed MasterChef, speaker, author, restaurant consultant, teacher and television presenter in wholefood, dairy-free cooking. She also has the worlds first online cooking classes focused on dairy-free plant-based whole foods with recipes that people are raving about and changing people's health, one delicious bite at a time. Chef Cynthia loves nothing more than educating people about the simplicity and vitality of a plant-based, whole foods lifestyle. Each dish is like art on a plate and her flavour combinations nourish the soul and get everyone talking.

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