mixed fruit

This Mixed Fruit Tray Bake recipe is ideal for coffee breaks and packed lunches. The secret to keeping this fruit cake moist is adding freshly brewed coffee or tea to the mixed dried fruit. Using soft dark brown sugar enhances the sponge cake with rich toffee flavours that you will not get if you were to use ordinary white sugar.

Fruit Tray Bake

120 g Mixed Dried Fruit

ml coffee

dark brown sugar

butter

eggs

Self raising flour

½ teaspoon Ground Mixed Spice

Demerara Sugar

Get a small dish and add the freshly brewed coffee to the mixed dried fruit, leave for at least 30 mins to allow the fruits to plump up. Give them a little stir every few minutes to ensure all the fruit gets a chance to soak up the coffee.

Soak the fruit

Preheat

Preheat the oven to 180 deg (fan assisted). Grease and line a 10.5 inch (27cm) x 7 inch (17.5cm) x 1inch traybake tin or similar with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.

Beat

Using an electric mixer, or wooden spoon/spatula, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. If needed, scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go along.

Add the eggs

Add the eggs one at a time adding a little flour between each one to help prevent curdling. Mix until well combined.

Add remaining lour

Add the remaining flour and mixed spice. Mix until well combined.

Drain

Drain off and discard any excess liquid from the soaking fruit, you won’t need this anymore, add the fruit to the cake bater and mix until well combined.

Pour

Pour the cake mixture evenly into the prepared baking tin. Scatter the demerara sugar over the top, this will give your cake a nice crispy topping.

Bake

Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 – 30 mins. Or until baked with a nice golden colour. Testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.

If you wish, while the cake is still warm scatter more Demerara sugar on the top.

Leave to cool

Leave in the tin to cool a little before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely. Wait until the traybake has cooled completely before cutting into slices and serving. If you slice it while still warm, there’s a risk your cake will crumble.

Flavoured with honey, fruits, nuts and melted chocolate, these Homemade Fruit and Nut Chocolate bars require no baking. They are very easy to make, requiring just a couple of hours for the chocolate to set. They make a great edible gift.

Homemade Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bars

dark chocolate (roughly chopped)

honey

dried chopped cherries

dried chopped apricots

chopped dates

mixed dried fruits (such

flaked almonds

pistachio nuts (roughly chopped)

White chocolate

Grease and line a 10.5 inch (27cm) x 7 inch (17.5cm)  baking tin with baking parchment.

Melt the dark chocolate and butter in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water. Take off the heat. Add the honey, followed by all the chopped fruits and nuts. Give everything a good mix.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin smoothing out the top. Leave to one side while you melt the white chocolate

Melt the white chocolate in a clean heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Take off the heat and carefully pour over the top of the fruit and nut mixture. Let the chocolate find its own level.

Place in the fridge to set. Allow a couple of hours for it to firm up.

When set, lift out of the tin and using a sharp knife cut into squares.

They make an ideal gift for any occasion and if cut small, make the perfect after dinner Petit four.

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Fruit Tray Bake

Homemade Fruit and Nut Chocolate Ba...

Top 2 mixed fruit recipes from across the web

The most viewed mixed fruit recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Fruit Tray Bake

Homemade Fruit and Nut Chocolate Ba...

The most viewed mixed fruit recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine