Recipe for Moist Fruit Cake
Made in the Ninja Speedi, this easy, old fashioned boiled fruit cake is packed full of fruit, and chopped nuts. The cooking method is foolproof!
Using the Steam/Bake function is much better than an air fryer fruit cake!
So, I am officially obsessed with Ninja kitchen appliances and yes, I have a LOT of them! 😀
I also love my Ninja Foodi Max 15-in-1 but since having the Speedi I'm finding I only use it for the pressure-cooking side.
I am totally obsessed with the Ninja Speedi 10-in-1 😍 I've used it so much since I got it.
I recently broke my ankle and so it's ideal as I can not stand for very long and this thing can make a whole meal in 15 minutes - yep 15 minutes and all in one pot too!
If there's anything you want to know, just ask me about all things Ninja leave a comment below or follow my A Glug of Oil FaceBook page for recipes.
It's worth noting that the American version of the Speedi has a couple of different functions, including Sous Vide - I wish the UK version had the same.
I actually have a dedicated sous vide machine (water oven) and I'm pretty sure it would be better than the Ninja one since it is kinda top of the range, and as I say, it's dedicated to just the sous vide method of cooking.
Anyway, back to the boiled fruit cake!
Boiled fruit cake is nothing new, there are recipes everywhere, just slightly different versions. I followed the Ninja recipe for the main cooking part, but for the ingredients, I did my own thing. 😉
In my opinion, a good fruit cake also needs chopped nuts, so in they went!
Boiled fruit cake doesn't mean you boil the actual cake itself - it's the fruit that is boiled at the beginning, the fruit then soaks up the liquid and makes it soft, plumpy and moist.
I do love old-fashioned recipes such as traditional bread pudding, but this is a much more modern way of cooking - Next up, I may well have a go cooking bread pudding in the Speedi!
Anyway, I'd read of too many people saying the Ninja recipe didn't work as their cake wasn't cooked in the middle. So, do read my top tips below.
Recipe top tips!
Firstly, it's important to know how the Ninja Speedi works.
Once your cake is in the Ninja and the water has been added to the cooking pot (you must add water in order for the machine to create steam).
It's quite shocking to read that many people don't think it's necessary to add water and then wonder why their cake didn't cook. 😟
- The cake needs to go into the unit after adding water and before pressing, selecting Steam/Bake.
- The unit will steam for approx. 20 minutes BEFORE the countdown timer begins. This is part of the cooking process and cooking time, so your cake or whatever you're steaming must go in at the very start.
- I found cooking for 35 minutes works rather than 30 minutes as stated in the Ninja Kitchen recipe.
- You need to use plain flour and not self raising as the fruit will sink. You will need to add bicarbonate of soda (see recipe).
- I always use Homepride flour as it's already sieved so it makes baking much easier.
- There are people who think this is like a traditional Christmas cake that can be made weeks in advance of Christmas, but it's far too moist, and it would certainly go mouldy if made too far in advance.
- It will keep for 4 days if wrapped well in cling film and in a cool place.
- My recipe isn't the same as the one on the Ninja Kitchen website because I can not for the life of me follow a recipe. 😄
- I added chopped nuts, plus I soaked the fruit in a little brandy. 😉 Much better! But you can choose not to soak the fruit if you prefer.
- You can of course leave out the nuts, but if you do, add 100g more fruit.
- Do make sure your mixture is pretty much cold before adding it to the dry and egg mixture or you'll have scrambled eggs!
- If you happen to use a 7-inch cake tin your cake will be deeper, so I recommend you may have to cook for 40 minutes, but do check your cake at 35 minutes.
What's the difference between bicarbonate of soda and baking powder?
Sodium bicarbonate and bicarbonate of soda are other names for baking soda. Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch.
Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder.
Is cream of tartar baking soda?
The answer is no, cream of tartar is not the same as baking soda, but it is what you add to baking soda to get baking powder. Source: Arm and Hammer
My boiled fruit cake ingredients
- 150g unsalted butter - cubed
- 175g light soft brown sugar
- 225g sultanas
- 175g raisins
- 100ml brandy
- 200ml milk
- 225g plain flour (all purpose)
- 2½ teaspoons mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- a pinch of salt
- 50g chopped hazelnuts
- 50g chopped almonds
- 2 medium eggs - beaten
- 600ml water
What do we need?
- Ninja Speedi OR any other multicooker that has a Steam/Bake function
- 20cm (8-inch) loose-bottomed cake tin - Do check yours will fit if you have a spring form tin, as the buckle fastening may make it too big to fit your appliance!
- Greaseproof - parchment paper or a suitably sized cake tin liner
Full instructions are in the recipe card below!
Add the butter, sugar, dried fruit and milk to the pot and boil. By the way, the Ninja Speedi isn't blue - it's actually more grey, so ignore the colour in my photo.
Remove the mixture from the pot into a large bowl and allow it to cool completely - the bigger the bowl, the quicker it will be cool.
Meanwhile, wash out the cooking pot, grease a 22cm (8 inch) cake tin and line the bottom and sides with a circle of baking parchment.
Add 600ml water to the pot. Push in the legs on the Cook & Crisp tray, then place the tray in the bottom position in the cooking pot.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, mixed spice, nutmeg and cinnamon, the bicarbonate of soda, a pinch of salt and the nuts.
Add beaten eggs and pour the melted cooled ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir them together.
Pour into the prepared tin and place it onto the cook and crisp tray.
Close the lid and flip the SmartSwitch to RAPID COOKER. Select STEAM BAKE, set temperature to 150°C and set time to 35 minutes.
The unit will steam for approx. 20 minutes BEFORE the countdown timer begins.
Ten minutes before the end of cooking, carefully cover the cake with foil, tucking it around the sides of the tin.
The cake should be cooked when a cocktail stick is inserted in the centre and comes out clean.
Allow to cool in tin for 30 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack.
And there we have it - rich and moist boiled fruit cake!
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Boiled Fruit Cake - Ninja Speedi Recipe
Ingredients
- 150g unsalted butter - cubed
- 175g light soft brown sugar
- 225g sultanas
- 175g raisins
- 100ml brandy
- 200ml milk
- 225g plain flour
- 2½ teaspoons mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- a pinch of salt
- 50g chopped hazlenuts
- 50g chopped almonds
- 2 medium eggs - beaten
- 600ml water
Instructions
- Add the butter, sugar, dried fruit and milk to the pot. Flip the SmartSwitch to AIR FRY. Select SEAR/SAUTÉ, set to 4 and press START/STOP to start cooking.
- Stir every few minutes until the butter is melted and the mixture starts to boil. This may take 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pot into a large bowl and allow it to cool completely - the bigger the bowl the quicker it will cool.
- Meanwhile, wash out the cooking pot, grease a 22cm (8 inch) cake tin and line the bottom and sides with a circle of baking parchment.
- Add 600ml water to the pot. Push in the legs on the Cook & Crisp tray, then place the tray in the bottom position in the cooking pot
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, mixed spice, nutmeg and cinnamon, the bicarbonate of soda, a pinch of salt and the nuts.
- Add beaten eggs then pour the melted cooled ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir them together. Pour into the prepared tin and place onto the cook and crisp tray.
- Close the lid and flip the SmartSwitch to RAPID COOKER. Select STEAM BAKE, set temperature to 150°C and set time to 35 minutes.
- Press START/STOP to begin cooking (the unit will steam for approx. 20 minutes before the countdown timer begins).
- Ten minutes before the end of cooking, carefully cover the cake with foil, tucking it around the sides of the tin - otherwise it could blow onto the fan above.
- The cake should be cooked when a cocktail stick is inserted in the centre and comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin for 30 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack.
I have just made this in my Ninja Speedi - I missed the bit about covering with foil for the last 10 minutes! Silly me I should have read to the end! However although a bit dark in colour the cake looks amazing and is cooked through nicely! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Marianne, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Glad your cake turned out okay depite forgetting to cover with foil lol.
DeleteHappy Christmas to you and your family!
Do make sure the tinfoil is well tucked under the tin or it will be sucked up and cover the fan.
ReplyDeleteGood point and I suppose it could, but as it's cooking on steam/bake the fan speed is really low. I have amended the instructions in the recipe card.
DeleteMy first try using the Speedie to make a cake, in fact first cake made for many years. Easy to follow recipe and the results were beyond my wildest dreams! Even my partner liked it. Used Muscovado sugar as the only other brown sugar I had was demerara. On my recipe it did not tell you when to add the chopped nuts so chucked them in at stage 5 with the brandy. Pre-formed my tin foil topper so not to burn my fingers or have to prod around with a utensil as the cake tin was a tight fit inside the pot. Cake keeps well and kept its moisture right up to the last slice. Topped up the ingredients I am short of to make another.
ReplyDeleteHi Iceonfire - I am so happy you liked the recipe. I've altered the recipe card as I realise I did not say when to add the nuts! You were right in adding them at stage five.
DeleteHappy cake Ninja Speedi cake baking!