01
In a large mixing bowl, add dried fruit, orange zest, apple juice and stir. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute and then stir. Heat again for 1 minute and stir. Fruit should be hot to the touch.
02
Cover the bowl of fruit with a large plate and let it sit for 1 hour. Fruit will cool, soak up the juice and become plump and juicy.
03
Preheat oven to 170 C (340 F) standard / 150 C (300 F) fan-forced. Lightly grease a high-sided (3 inches deep) 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom and sides with baking paper or parchment paper.
04
In a separate large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder and salt. Stir or whisk briefly to mix.
05
Heat butter in the microwave until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Butter should be melted but not hot. If it’s hot to the touch, let it cool slightly before continuing.
06
Add butter, vanilla and eggs to flour mix and gently stir. Add dried fruit, including any juice left in the bowl, and stir until fruit is completely coated and there are no pockets of flour.
07
Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Place cake in the oven on the middle rack and bake 1 hour. Then cover cake loosely with aluminum foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes.
08
Double check if your cake is fully cooked in the middle by inserting a skewer in multiple places to see if it comes out completely clean. If not, bake your cake for another 10 minutes and then try again.
09
Leave your cake to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cake must be completely cool before slicing otherwise it will crumble.
