Wedding cake – light fruit cake

This makes the top tier of a three tier wedding cake, or make it alone for christenings, Christmas, or whenever you need a good, lighter, fruit cake

Prep:30 mins
Cook:2 hrs 15 mins
Plus cooling

Serves 24
More effort

Nutrition per serving

kcal 157
fat 7g
saturates 3g
carbs 24g
sugars 18g
fibre 1g
protein 2g
salt 0.06g

Ingredients

2 tbsp orange flower water
zest and juice 1 orange
zest and juice 1 lemon
140g unsalted butter, softened
140g golden caster sugar
2 large egg, beaten
175g plain flour
100g undyed glacé cherry, halved
100g dried apricot, roughly chopped
100g mixed peel, chopped (we used Sundora)
100g golden sultana
50g shelled pistachio, left whole
50g (3 balls) stem ginger from a jar

Tip

Jane says...
This is totally different to traditional dark fruit cakes, but if you have a special family recipe, bake that in a 15cm tin and feed with alcohol or fruit juice in the month leading up to the wedding.Up to a month ahead
Make the fruit cake and cover with marzipan.

Method

Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Grease and double-line the base and sides of a deep, 15cm cake tin. Wrap a double layer of greaseproof or brown paper around the outside of the tin, too, then secure with string.
Using an electric whisk or a tabletop mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and light. Beat in the eggs gradually. In a small bowl, mix the orange flower water with the zest and juice of the orange and lemon. Fold the flour, then dried fruit, pistachioes and ginger into the creamed mix, followed by the juice and zest mix.
Spoon the mix into the prepared tin and bake for 30 mins, then turn oven down to 150C/ fan 130C/gas 2 and bake for another 1 hr 45 mins until risen, golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 15 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
The cake will keep well wrapped in a cool place for up to 1 month.