Moist Boiled Fruit Cake with Orange Syrup

Method

Boiled fruit mixture

1. Put the butter, brown sugar, dried fruit, dates, 160 ml orange juice, orange zest and molasses into a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let it bubble gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring now and then.

2. Tip the mixture into a wide, shallow dish and leave it to cool to room temperature; 45 minutes in the freezer speeds this up. It should thicken as it cools and must not be warm or chilled when you carry on.

Cake

3. Heat the oven to 140°C fan (160°C conventional). Grease a 20 cm round cake tin about 7.5 cm deep and line the base with baking paper.

4. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and mixed spice into a bowl, then whisk briefly to combine.

5. In a small bowl, beat the oil and eggs together with a fork.

6. Scrape the cooled fruit mixture into a large bowl, add the egg mixture and fold with a spatula until evenly mixed; it is thick, so take your time.

7. Fold in the walnuts, then add the dry ingredients and fold only until no streaks of flour remain.

8. Spread the batter evenly in the tin and tap it on the counter to release large air bubbles. Bake for 75 to 85 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.

9. Leave the cake in the tin for 30 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and turn it out, right way up, onto a wire rack.

Orange syrup and resting

10. While the cake is still warm, heat the 45 ml fresh orange juice and white sugar in a small pot or the microwave until the sugar dissolves.

11. Brush all of the syrup over the top and sides of the warm cake with a pastry brush.

12. Once cool, wrap the cake in two layers of foil, place it in an airtight container and leave it somewhere cool and dry for 48 hours before slicing.