Dark Fruit Cake

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup Unsalted butter, softened (1 stick (113g))
• 0.75 cup Brown sugar, packed
• 2 units Large eggs (at room temperature)
• 0.5 cup Molasses
• 0.5 cup Milk (at room temperature)
• 0.5 teaspoon Lemon extract
• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons Baking powder
• 0.5 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground allspice
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground mace
• 0.25 teaspoon Ground clove
• 0.5 cup English walnut meats, cut in pieces
• 0.75 cup Raisins (Seedless, if possible)
• 0.75 cup Currants
• 0.5 cup Citron, thinly sliced and cut in strips

Instructions

1. 1Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and flour a 9x5 inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan, or line with parchment paper. Ensure butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature. If using whole walnuts, chop them into pieces. If raisins are not seedless, remove seeds and cut them. Slice citron into thin strips if not pre-cut.
2. 2In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, ground mace, and ground clove. Set aside.
3. 3In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. 4Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. Stir in the molasses and lemon extract until combined.
5. 5With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined after each addition, being careful not to overmix.
6. 6Gently fold in the cut English walnuts, raisins, currants, and citron into the batter using a spatula until evenly distributed.
7. 7Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes), or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake should be dark golden brown and firm to the touch.
8. 8Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes before inverting it onto the rack to cool completely. This cake is often best served the next day, allowing the flavors to meld.