A light take on traditional Christmas fruit cake

We made this beautiful fruit cake last week . It is pretty simple and straight forward and we want to share it with any of you who want to enjoy . It is of course sweet but not over-sweet and best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea with added spices .

This cake is a product of our own experiment from 3 great recipes so we will call this one our very own ‘La Maison Rose Christmas fruit cake ‘ The ingredients are seasonal and you might not find everything in the list but I am sure you can find other similar things to substitute . Ingredients & Preparations 340 g of dried cranberry mixed with other dried currants that you can source . 100 g raisins 100 g Sultanas 170 g of candied citrus peel 40 ml of Grand Marnier ( The night before you bake this cake ,make sure the dried fruits do not stick together then stirring in the Grand Marnier . Cover and leave to soak for 8 hours at least) 227 g salted butter 227 g cream cheese (Leave them outside of the fridge around 45 mins ) 150 g castor sugar 2 tea spoons of vanilla paste 1/2 tea spoon of almond extract 4 eggs ( leave them outside of the fridge at least 30 minutes before breaking them into a separate bowl before use ) Zest of 2 oranges 120 g + ( extra 30 g ) of self raising flour 120 g of almond flour 1 1/2 tea spoons of baking powder Sift these ingredients together and make sure you mix them well . Mould choices 1.One 10 inches diameter Bundt mould 2.Two of 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches loaf pan The next day Make sure the ingredients are in order. The dried fruit should be puffed up and juicy by now and this is the time to stir in the extra 30 g of self raising flour . Make sure the flour is evenly distributed . If you are not sure of your oven efficiency, preheat the oven to 160 C before proceeding to the next step. Mix butter , cream cheese , caster sugar , vanilla paste and almond extract together with medium speed in a mixing bowl for several minutes until light and fluffy. ( scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times ) then add the eggs one at a time followed by the orange zest . Gently fold in the self raising flour , almond flour and baking powder into the creamed mixture until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Toss in the dried fruits and ensure they are well dispersed. Put the mixture into the mould . Bake for 70 mins then check . Have yourselves a merry little ( lock down ) Christmas.