How to bake an AWARD WINNING RICH FRUIT CAKE | Ekka Blue Ribbon Baking w/ Laurel Edwards

Ekka royalty Geoff Beattie shows Laurel how to cook a Rich Fruit Cake. Learn his secret baking tips, including how to keep your cake moist and even.

Geoff has been competing at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) for 30 years and has won approximately 4,000 awards nation wide.

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Download the recipe card at www.ekkaonline.com/blue-ribbon-baking

This is episode 2 of Blue Ribbon Baking presented by Norco. For more info visit www.ekkaonline.com

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RECIPE
Ingredients:
• 700g Raisins
• 1050g Sultanas
• 60g Mixed Peel
• 60g Cherries
• 350g Currants
• 4 tbsp Rum
• 4 tbsp Sherry
• 500g Norco unsalted butter (softened)
• 500g Brown Sugar
• ½ tspn Salt
• 10 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Vanilla Essence or 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbsp Lemon Essence
• 2 tspn Coffee Essence
• 1 tbsp Treacle
• 60g Self-Raising Flour
• 600g Plain Flour
• ½ tspn Ground Cloves
• 2 tspn Mixed Spice
• Juice of 1 Orange
• 120g Blanched Almonds (optional)
• Norco Custard (to serve)

Utensils:
• 3 large bowls
• wooden spoons
• electric beater
• 25-28cm square tin
• newspaper
• string
• cardboard
• tea towels

Method:
1. Soak Fruit Overnight
Cut raisins, sultanas, mixed peel and cherries into equal parts. Add cut fruit and currants in a large bowl. Add rum and sherry over the fruit and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to soak overnight.
2. Combine butter, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters or similar until creamy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
4. Add vanilla, lemon essence, coffee essence and treacle to butter mix. Beat well.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flours, ground cloves and mixed spice.
6. Add orange juice and almonds (optional) to fruit mix and almonds. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Add a bit of the dry ingredients’ mixture (approx 100g) to the fruit mixture. Mix well.
7. Add butter mixture and remaining dry ingredients to fruit mixture. Mix well.

Method
8. Line a 25-28cm square tin with baking paper. Spoon mixture in tin and spread evenly.
TIP: To remove air bubbles, spoon the mixture into the corners first before filling the rest of the tin. Additionally, drop the tin on the floor or a table a few times.
TIP: Using a wet hand, press down on mixture to make the top even and glossy
TIP: Before placing in the oven, cover the outside of the tin with newspaper and secure with string. Additionally, place cardboard underneath and on top of the tin. This will help the cake cook more slowly and not burn.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 120°C for 4.5 - 5 hours until cooked (check after 4 hours).
TIP: Listen to your cake! If the cake is still sizzling, it has not cooked through and needs to go back in the oven.
10. Wrap in a couple tea towels and leave to cool. Remove cake from tin after it has completely cooled
11. Eat on its own, or with serve with some Norco custard.