I'm not a great fan of the traditional Christmas fruit cake but I do like marzipan , especially when its cooked and when become a lovely morsel of moist intense almond in a bake. This bake makes a lovely light alternative for a traditional cake and its very aromatic whilst baking, you can use any combination of dried fruits the choice is yours. Its also an excellent way to use up the marzipan trimmings from icing your Christmas cake.
Ingredients
- 250g dried fruits ( sultanas, raisins, cranberries, chopped apricots, currants, glace cherries, even mango pieces)
- 2 eggs - free range please
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 150g soft butter or quality margarine
- 100g caster sugar
- 300g self raising flour
- 150ml skimmed milk
- 100g marzipan - chopped into small pieces
Pre heat your oven to 180C , you will also need a 2lb loaf tin, oiled / buttered and base lined
Method
- Mix the butter, sugar and flour together in a food processor or stand mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs
- Now add the eggs, vanilla, milk and mix until you have a loose dough
- Now pulse in the dried fruit until just mixed
- Spoon approx 1/2 the mixture in to your prepared tin
- Add the marzipan in a layer before using the rest of the fruited mixture to top off the loaf
- Smooth the top
- Bake for approx 60- 75 minutes, carefully testing with a skewer to see if baked through, bear in mind the marzipan
- Allow to initially cool in the tin, then remove and let cool fully on a wire rack.