A Christchurch rest home created a special fruitcake to celebrate the royal birthday on Monday.
For King Charles III’s birthday, Arvida Rhodes on Cashmere cook Margaret Hogan enlisted resident Thea Artz to help create a fruitcake fit for a king - and all for a very good cause.
The king is a well-known fan of fruitcake – he chose one for his 1981 wedding to the late Princess Diana, and then again when he married Queen Camilla in 2005, as well as at his coronation celebration last year – and Margaret reckons this cake is a real winner.
The cake, which is a simple ‘melt and mix’ recipe, is packed with fruit and has a generous dash of vanilla.
“You should always be using real vanilla extract,” Margaret explained.
“The cake goes very well with custard and ice cream.”
Margaret was helped in the kitchen by keen royalist Thea, who has a passion for baking and keeps up-to-date with royal news - something she’s done for years.
“I’m a royalist - I always have been,” Thea said.
“I think King Charles has been a brave man, going out and working after his recent cancer diagnosis.
“I wish (him) the happiest of birthdays and very good health for the year ahead.”
In a sweet move, the kind-hearted staff and residents at the rest home resisted the urge to tuck into the cake and instead decided to deliver it to the local Cancer Society office for the hard-working team to enjoy.
“It’s a cause that’s close to our hearts and something that is important to our residents,” Margaret said.
Fruitcake for all
Ingredients
500g sultanas and raisins
(2 1/2 cups)
250 ml water (1 cup)
250 g butter cut into cubes
385 g sugar (1 3/4 cups)
260 g plain flour (1 3/4 cups) sifted
1 tsp baking powder sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 20 or 22cm square cake tin.
2. Place sultanas and water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Boil for 8 minutes until sultanas are plump and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Remove from the heat and add the cubes of butter. Stir through until all the butter is melted. Add the sugar and stir in well. Set mixture aside to cool for 20-30 minutes. If you want the mixture to cool quickly, place the base of the saucepan into a sink filled with some iced water.
4. While the mixture is cooling, sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Once the mixture has cooled down, add the sifted flour and baking powder and stir together with a large spoon. Add the lightly beaten eggs and vanilla extract and continue to stir until everything is combined and there are no flour pockets left in the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes, or until the middle is cooked and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. You will need to cover the top of the cake loosely with foil half-way through the baking time once the top is nice and golden (at the 35-45 minute mark), otherwise it will darken too much. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes. Invert onto a wire cooling rack to continue to cool completely.
6. Once cooled, cover the cake with cling wrap and place in an airtight container. Cake will keep for five days. This cake can also be frozen for up to one month – wrap well in cling film, then wrap again in aluminium foil and place in an airtight container or sealed glad bag and place in the freezer.
