Recipe: Vintage Fruit Cake

Love it or loathe it, a Christmas without fruit cake is like nasi lemak without sambal – it just ain't right. So if you don't already have a fruit cake baking in the oven (or reserved in a bakery somewhere), get on it because the jolly holiday is just around the corner! And because you've been good this year, we'll help save you from the Googling effort and share a simple recipe for a Vintage Fruit Cake with you:

* This recipe is halal and produces a 1.7kg cake – perfect to be shared with your loved ones, or for yourself. It's okay, we don't judge.

What you'll need:

• 150g butter
• 75g brown sugar
• 110g molasses
• 198g pasteurised whole eggs
• 25g ground almond
• 25g nib almond
• 150g sieved flour
• 5g cinnamon powder
• 5g nutmeg powder
• 5g all spice powder
• 1g baking powder
• 1kg marinated mixed fruits (800g dried black currants; 950g sultanas; 300g mixed peel; 150g green cherries; 150g red cherries; 150ml apple juice; 400ml lemon juice)

What to do:

• Marinate dried fruits with apple and lemon juice overnight.
• Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, and ground and nib almond together in a bowl. Mix well with a beater.
• Cream butter and brown sugar till fluffy.
• Slowly add in the whole egg in three parts, followed by molasses. Separating the eggs into three parts gives the cake an airy texture.
• Add the marinated dried mixed fruits into the butter batter.
• Mix well and lastly fold in the dry ingredients.
• Scale batter into portions of 120g each
• Bake at a temperature of 160°F for one hour and 30 minutes.
• Leave to cool. Arrange dried fruits and nuts on top of cake as desired. You can also coat it with a sugar glaze for an extra touch of sweetness.

If you want to make a 'naughty version' of the cake, we've got you covered too...

All you need to do is marinate the dried fruits in rum or brandy – the longer, the more 'power'. Alternatively, Chef Johnny Loh, the man behind this recipe, also suggested drizzling alcohol on the cake and leaving it for two days before flipping the cake over and drizzling the other side.

If you're looking for more Christmas treats, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is also offering its Christmas Dessert Menu featuring another Christmas classic – Dresdner Stollen – and new creations such as Winter Dipped Strawberries, Whimsical Chocolate Cake and the Double Chocolate Peppermint beverage.

So go ahead – have some fruit cake and be merry! And from all of us at Rojak Daily, Merry Christmas and happy holidays!