Chocolate Chip Fruit Cake

This is the cake recipe I used to make our wedding cake, from the Australian Women's Weekly 'Chocolate Cookbook' (itself a Christmas present from Rodney in 1989). Glace apricots are the yummiest thing in the world. I used a large heart-shaped pan instead of the square one. The top layer was just a standard fruit cake, which we froze after the reception.


Ingredients

2.25 cups (375g) sultanas
1 cup glace cherries, halved
1 cup chopped glace apricots
150g dark chocolate, chopped
185g butter, chopped
0.75 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup sweet sherry
4 eggs, lightly beaten
155g Choc Bits
1.75 cups plain flour
0.25 cups self-raising flour
0.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons sweet sherry, extra

Method

Combine fruit, chocolate, butter, sugar and sherry in large saucepan, stir constantly over heat, without boiling, until chocolate and butter are melted. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to large bowl; allow to cool to room temperature.

Grease deep 19cm square cake pan, line base and sides with 2 thicknesses greaseproof paper, bringing paper 2cm above edge of pan. Stir eggs into fruit mixture, then Choc Bits, sifted flour and soda.

Spread evenly into prepared pan, back in slow oven for about 2 hours. Brush with extra sherry, cover tightly with foil; cool in pan.


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