My latest recipe for Winter Fruit Cake with Port, is a rich all-in-one fruit cake that is perfect for winter and fireside nibbling.
A Rich All-in-One Fruit Cake with Port Wine
My latest recipe for Winter Fruit Cake with Port, is a rich all-in-one fruit cake that is perfect for winter nibbling, especially when served with Wensleydale cheese.
We are a family of fruit cake lovers, and I often wonder why we don’t make rich fruit cakes throughout the year, and not just at Christmas, or Easter.
My late father was especially fond of fruit cake, and my mother used ro make one every week, usually the boiled fruit cake from her old Be-Ro book, which I now have.
Today’s recipe for Winter Fruit Cake with Port fulfils that desire for an unashamedly rich fruit cake, similar to a Christmas cake, but with no marzipan or icing.
It’s an easy fruit cake to make, but it’s packed with dried mixed fruit, is made with butter, and has a goodly slug of port added, which adds to the richness.
I used ruby port last time I made this, but white or tawny port would be perfect in this recipe. I must admit that the ruby port added a lovely colour to the cake batter.
This was baked this in a 6″ (15cm) round cake tin, and it rose to the top of the tin, so a 7″ (17.5cm) tin would work just as well.
At an educated guess, this cake will yield 8 generous slices, for greedy fruit cake loving people like us, however, it’s up to you how generous you want to be!
This cake will last for up to 2 weeks in a cake tin, and it can be wheeled out for winter tea by a roaring log fire well before, and after, the festive season has started and finished.
Enjoy this cake with a pot of tea, ot with a glass of port and a wedge of cheese. We prefer Wensleydale cheese with ours, but Cheshire cheese would also be delectable.
I hope you enjoy this winter fruit cake as much as we do. I last served this as part of my weekly Sunday Tea Tray, and it was devoured – so, I need to make another cake!
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Culinary Notes
- Enjoy this cake with a pot of tea, ot with a glass of port and a wedge of cheese. (We prefer Wensleydale cheese with ours, but Cheshire cheese would also be delectable)
- Use butter and not margarine for a richer cake.
- You can soak the dried fruit in the port for an extra port flavour.
- Add whole blanched almonds on top of the cake before baking for a Dundee style cake.
More Winter Recipes
- Apple & Mincemeat Gingerbread Tea Loaf
- Steamed “Pressure Cooker” Mincemeat Pudding
- Old-Fashioned Treacle Scones
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Recipe for Winter Fruit Cake with Port
Winter Fruit Cake with Port
My latest recipe for Winter Fruit Cake with Port, is a rich all-in-one fruit cake that is perfect for winter nibbling, especially when served with Wensleydale cheese.
We are a family of fruit cake lovers, and I often wonder why we don't make rich fruit cakes throughout the year, and not just at Christmas, or Easter.
My late father was especially fond of fruit cake, and my mother used ro make one every week, usually the boiled fruit cake from her old Be-Ro book, which I have now.
Today's recipe for Winter Fruit Cake with Port fulfils that desire for an unashamedly rich fruit cake, similar to a Christmas cake, but with no marzipan or icing.
It's an easy fruit cake to make, but it's packed with dried mixed fruit, is made with butter, and has a goodly slug of port added, which adds to the richness.
I used ruby port last time I made this, but white or tawny port would be perfect in this recipe. I must admit that the ruby port added a lovely colour to the cake batter.
I baked this in a 6" (15cm) round cake tin, and it rose to the top of the tin, so a 7" (17.5cm) tin would work just as well.
I guestimated that the cake will yield 8 generous slices, for greedy fruit cake loving people like us, however, it's up to you how generous you want to be!
This cake will last for up to 2 weeks in a cake tin, and it can be wheeled out for winter tea by a roaring log fire well before, and after, the festive season has started and finished.
Enjoy this cake with a pot of tea, ot with a glass of port and a wedge of cheese. We prefer Wensleydale cheese with ours, but Cheshire cheese would also be delectable.
I hope you enjoy this winter fruit cake as much as we do. I last served this as part of my weekly Sunday Tea Tray, and it was devoured - so, I need to make another cake!
Ingredients
- 170g (6oz) Butter
- 170g (6oz) Soft brown sugar
- 225g (8oz) Self-Raising flour
- 1 teaspoon Mixed spice
- 3 Large eggs
- 350g (12oz) Dried mixed fruit and peel
- 50g (2oz) Glace cherries, halved
- 4 tablespoons Port wine (ruby, tawny or white port)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 160C/150C Fan/325F/Gas mark 3 and grease and line a 6" (15cm) or 7" (17.5cm) round cake tin with baking paper.
- Place all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed, about 2-3 minutes.
- Spoon the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. Smooth the top and make a slight hollow in the middle of the cake with the back of a spoon.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven on the middle shelf for 1 1/2 hours, or until the cake is well-risen and when a skewer is inserted in the middle of the cake, it comes out clean.
- Leave in the tin for 3 to 4 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Store for upto 2 weeks in a cake tin, and serve cut into wedges, with cheese if desired.
Notes
Enjoy this cake with a pot of tea, ot with a glass of port and a wedge of cheese. (We prefer Wensleydale cheese with ours, but Cheshire cheese would also be delectable)
Use butter and not margarine for a richer cake.
You can soak the dried fruit in the port for an extra port flavour.
Add whole blanched almonds on top of the cake before baking for a Dundee style cake.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 101Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 70mgSodium 73mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 4g
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Trish says
This looks so wonderful!!! I am in the US, and of course we have a bad relationship with fruitcake, but ours are very sweet and artificial. I spent a year in Australia and was introduced to the more English style fruitcake, which I fell in love with. I know I can get mixed fruit online, and will look for place cherries. I have 8 inch round cake tins so will have to give that a try. I remember in the James Herriot books, him eating christmas cake with Wensleydale – I’m looking forward to giving that a go!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you so much for your lovely comments!
I hope you enjoy this winter fruit cake ☺️
Karen
Anne Wright says
I don’t have port, can I use a sweet sherry instead?
Katie says
Hi Karen!! This recipe sounds delicious, and I can’t wait to try it. I was introduced to fruit cake by my English husband, and this will be my first attempt at making it myself. I have a couple questions, though. In place of self-raising flour, what would I use? I have a difficult time finding that where I am. Also, what’s the mixed spice? How could i substitute that with individual spices that I have?
Thanks!
Katie
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi there Katie
In place of SR Floyd’s all all purpose flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder per every 115g (4ozs)
I have a recipe for mixed spice here:
Mixed Spice
Hope this helps,
Karen