Maple Pecan Christmas Cake

Makes: 20cm round cake (8 slices)
Prep Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 1h 30m

Ingredients:

Rum-soaked fruit:
• 160ml rum
• 170g unsalted butter
• 140g brown sugar
• 35ml maple syrup
• 150g Cinderella Cranberries
• 150g Cinderella Raisins
• 100g Cinderella Sultanas
• 100g Camel Dates, pitted and cut into small pieces
• 165ml orange juice
• 1½ Tbsp orange zest

Cake:
• 210g standard flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 50ml canola oil
• 3 Farmer Brown Cage Free Size 6 Eggs (room temperature)
• 100g pecans (roughly chopped)

Orange Syrup:
• 25ml orange juice
• 20g castor sugar

Method:

Rum Soak:
1. In a saucepan, combine the unsalted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cranberries, raisins, sultanas, dates, orange juice, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, allowing it to gently bubble for a few minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture to a container to cool.
3. When the fruit mixture is at room temperature, pour rum over. Let the fruit soak in the rum. Set aside for a few hours or overnight.

Cake:
1. Preheat your oven to 140°C. Grease a 20cm cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the canola oil and eggs.
4. Gently fold the cooled fruit mixture into the oil and egg mixture.
5. Add pecans and gently fold into the mixture.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients, folding until just combined.
7. Pour the batter into the cake pan.
8. Bake for 1hr 15min – 1hr 25min. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30min before transferring to a wire rack.

Orange Syrup:
1. Heat the orange juice and castor sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves.
2. Brush the orange syrup over the top and sides of the cake while the cake is still warm.

Storage:
1. Wrap the cake securely in two layers of foil and place it in an airtight container.
2. Store it in a cool, dry place for at least 48 hours before serving.

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