Description
Mary Berry’s Boiled Fruit Cake is a rich and moist classic British fruit cake, filled with a mix of raisins, golden raisins, currants, and maraschino cherries. The fruit is gently simmered with condensed milk and butter to enhance flavor and texture before being combined with warm spices and baked slowly to perfection. This cake is perfect for festive occasions and pairs wonderfully with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 × 397g can full-fat condensed milk
- 150g salted butter
- 2 extra-large eggs
Dried and Preserved Fruit
- 225g raisins
- 225g golden raisins
- 175g currants
- 175g maraschino cherries, roughly chopped
Dry Ingredients & Spices
- 225g all-purpose flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Tin: Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F). Grease and line a 7-inch round cake tin with parchment paper to ensure the cake doesn’t stick and bakes evenly.
- Simmer Fruit Mixture: In a saucepan, combine the condensed milk, salted butter, raisins, golden raisins, currants, and roughly chopped maraschino cherries. Gently heat the mixture over low heat until the butter melts. Then allow it to simmer for 5 minutes to plump the fruit and meld the flavors. Remove from heat and let it cool completely to avoid scrambling the eggs in the next step.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon to distribute the leavening and spices evenly throughout the batter.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the two extra-large eggs and the cooled fruit mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir gently but thoroughly until all components are well combined into a thick batter.
- Pour and Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, smoothing and leveling the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for between 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours. Test doneness by inserting a skewer or toothpick into the center; it should come out clean.
- Cool the Cake: Once baked, allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes to set. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving, ensuring the flavors develop fully and the texture firms up.
Notes
- Simmering the fruit with condensed milk and butter helps to plump the dried fruits and embed the flavors deeply.
- The low baking temperature and long baking time ensure the cake cooks evenly and remains moist.
- This fruit cake keeps well and can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or frozen for longer storage.
- Using salted butter balances the sweetness of the condensed milk and dried fruits.
- Allowing the cake to cool fully before slicing prevents it from crumbling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Mary Berry, boiled fruit cake, traditional fruit cake, British cake, dried fruit cake, Christmas cake, simmered fruit cake
