Christmas Cake with Dried Fruits

Ingredients

• butter (for the pan)
• flour (for the pan)
• 200 g butter
• 180 g brown sugar
• 1 untreated orange (zest)
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 eggs
• 225 g flour
• 80 g ground hazelnuts
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 50 ml milk
• 50 g rum raisins
• 80 g cherry preserves
• 80 g dried plums
• 50 g candied orange peel (and lemon peel mixed)
• 100 g whole peeled almond kernels
• 1 egg white (for brushing)
• 8 cherry preserves (for decoration)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) with top and bottom heat. Grease a loaf pan with butter and dust it with flour.

2. 2.

   Beat the butter with sugar, orange zest, and salt until creamy and no longer gritty. Separate the eggs; fold in the yolks one at a time. Mix the flour with hazelnuts and baking powder, then alternately fold into the batter with milk. Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks and fold it in. Drain the rum raisins, let them dry, and fold in the cherry preserves, plums, candied orange/lemon peel, and almonds. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 35 minutes. Beat the remaining egg white with 1 tsp water, brush over the cake, and bake another 15–20 minutes (check with a skewer).

3. 3.

   Remove the cake from the oven, let it cool, carefully lift it out of the pan, and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve topped with cherry preserves as desired.