Fruitcake Flip! Upside-down and Inside-out

 

Well into the holiday season, it hardly seems like wishful thinking, to want to acquire a dozen recipes, and a dozen-odd hands to execute them. There’s that sensational plum cake from the local bakery from several years ago that would be devoured to the last crumb, the intoxicating rum cake served during carol singing that no one could have just one slice of, the divine date and nut cake sampled at a quaint little patisserie overseas..all begging to be re-created. Still, it’s the simple old fruit and nut cake that we can hardly have enough of. In fact we love it so much that we flipped at the very idea of adding a neat little twist to it. Here’s presenting our Fruitcake Flip: deliciousness in every bite, whether you eat it upside down, or downside up. Do spare a moment to ogle at this beauty before though, one way or another!

Upside-down Fruitcake

(Makes one 9″ cake)

Prep – Butter a 9″ cake pan and line it with parchment paper, butter the parchment well.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350ºF.

For the fruit – 

1.5 cups chopped dried fruit (we used a mix of dark and golden raisins, prunes, figs, kiwi, dates, cranberries, blueberries, apricots, apples, currants, crystallised ginger, candied orange peels)
½ cup orange juice


Mix the fruit and juice together and set aside while you make the cake batter and topping.

For the topping – 

½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons butter


Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves.
Increase the heat and boil the syrup until it caramelises and turns amber.
Now whisk in the butter and take the pan off the heat.

For the cake batter – 

¼ cup chopped roasted almonds and pecans
1 cup sugar, ground fine
1½ cups + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
85g unsalted butter, soft
150 ml milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs


Toss the nuts with one tablespoon of the flour and set aside.
Whisk together the sugar, the remaining flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl.
Add the soft butter and start beating with an hand beater or stand mixer, on low speed.
Once the butter is all mixed in, add in the milk and vanilla. Beat at low speed and then increase the speed and beat the mixture for 30 seconds or so.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating at high speed for about 30 seconds after adding each egg.
Scrape the sides of the pan with a spatula and beat again for 30 seconds.
Fold in the nuts.

 Putting it all together – 

Pour the warm caramel syrup into the prepared pan and spread it all over the base of the pan.
Drain the fruit and discard any excess liquid. Spread the dried fruit all over the pan, on top of the caramel.
Pour the cake batter on top of the fruit and smooth the top. Tap the cake on the counter so that the batter settles well.
Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with barely any crumbs attached.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Slide a knife all around the sides of the cake to loosen the sides.
To invert the cake you will need a cooling rack and a tray or plate that fits under the rack. Place the rack over the top of the cake and invert both, the pan and the rack. Place the rack on the tray or plate. Wait for a few seconds, then lift the pan off slowly.
Any fruit or sauce that is sticking to the pan can be scraped off and stuck back on the cake.
Serve the cake warm, plain or with some lightly whipped cream.
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for a couple of days.

KitchenAid India is playing Santa this year and we are sending these pies to the Kitchen Aid Christmas Blogger Contest. We’re keeping our fingers crossed KitchenAid!

And here’s a message from them – Get a special ‘Christmas Frosting Kit’ as gift with purchase of the iconic KitchenAid 4.8 L Tilt Head Stand Mixer from 1st-31st December 2014, and make delectable memories this Christmas. For more details, visit www.christmas.kitchenaidapac.com

#KitchenAidTurnsSanta