Geoff Costello

Geoff’s Ultimate Wedding Cake Recipe

Background
The following recipe has won many first prizes in shows for a rich fruit cake. If
possible it should be kept for at least a month before eating. It makes an excellent rich
iced cake suitable for weddings or special occasions. Equally, if covered with almonds
before baking it can be eaten plain.

Sealed in foil, the cake will keep for up to a year, although the texture is best within the
first 6 months as the nuts tend to soften. The only liquid in the cake is brandy and
liqueur, which gives the cake excellent keeping qualities as well as a wonderful rich
flavour. The cake is moist and if Sherry or Brandivino is used instead of the
recommended Brandy, the cake will not keep as long since these have lower alcoholic
contents.

The ingredients listed below are sufficient for a deep 11 inch round or 10 inch square
tin.
 Doubled they will make a two tier cake with a 12 inch square base and an 8 inch
square top.
 Halved the recipe will make a single 9 inch round or 8 inch square cake.
 Reduced to a quarter the recipe will make a singe 7 inch round or 6 inch square cake
 Increased by 50% (half extra of all ingredients) the recipe will make a single 12 inch
square cake.

Ingredients
1.5kg Sultanas
500g Seeded Raisins - cut if halves if desired
250g Currants
125g Seeded Prunes (optional) - cut into quarters
500g Glace Red Cherries - cut in halves
250g Glace Apricots cut in 1cm chunks
125g Mixed Peel
250g Almonds - roughly chopped
250g Walnuts or Pecan Nuts - roughly chopped
125g Blanched Almonds for top of cake (only required if not icing cake)
375ml Brandy
75ml Grand Marnier Liqueur or Port
500g Unsalted Butter
500g Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon real vanilla essence (2 if imitation)
125g Good quality Orange or Cumquat marmalade
8 Large Eggs (60g or more, use 10 eggs if only 50g)
5 cups Plain Flour
2 tsp Mixed Spice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

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 Geoff Costello

Method
 Place Sultanas, Raisins, Currents and Prunes in bowl and cover with all but 50ml
Brandy and all of the Grand Marnier or Port.
 Mix fuit well, cover and stand over night, or for at least 12 hours. If possible stir
several times to ensure that all liquid is absorbed by the fruit.
 Place almonds, walnuts, cherries, glace apricots and mixed peel in a separate bowl
and mix well.
 Sift flour and spices together.
 Cream butter with brown sugar.
 Drop in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. If mixture starts to
curdle, add a little of the sifted flour and spice.
 Add marmalade and vanilla essence.
 Fold in sifted flour.
 Fold in nuts and glace fruits.
 Fold in brandy soaked fruits.

Baking
 Line tins with two layers of brown paper and one layer of grease-proof or baking
paper. Lining should come at least 2cm above top of tins (If using silver tins, can
use 3 layers of baking paper instead)
 Prepare a sheet of brown paper and a sheet of grease-proof or baking paper as a lid
for the cake.
 Place cake mixture in one or more tins as required.
 Press cake mixture down firmly to remove any air bubbles.
 Use moistened hands to create a smooth level surface. (The cake will only rise a very
small amount during baking and will then reduce back to a level surface at the
original height once it is cooled.)
 If not intending to ice finished cake, arrange nested circular pattern of blanched
almonds on top of cake.
 Baking times based on deep tins:
 12 inch square - 1 hour at 150C then 5 to 6 hours at 120C
 11 inch round or 10 inch square - 1 hour at 150C then 3 1/2 to 4 hours at
120C
 9 inch round or 8 inch square - 4 hours at 150C
 7 inch round or 6 inch square - 2 1/2 hours at 150C
 All baking times are approximate and will vary depending upon the oven and the
colour of the cake tins.
 Depending upon preference the lids for the cakes can either be placed on at the
beginning and removed for the last 1 to 1/2 hours to ensure that the cake browns, or
left off initially and added for the last half of the baking to ensure that the top of the
cake does not brown too much.
 Once cake is cooked, remove from oven and poor over the retained brandy then cover
with the saved paper lids and a tea towel.
 Allow to cool overnight in tins.
 Cakes can be stored in tins sealed in a plastic bag, or removed from tins, wrapped in
at least two sealed layers of aluminum foil and sealed in a plastic bag.

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