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Cranberry & Apple Spice Cake


I am updating one of my favourite fruit cakes. I originally published it in 2008 and I make it regularly. It is the cake my dad always requests and it never lets me down.

It is usually quite a dark, spicy cake becuase of the treacle, but I decided to make a few changes and have come out with this much blonder cake. I have to say I like them both. You can't beat a slice of it warm and slathered with butter. Mmmmmmmm.

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Cranberry & Apple Spice Cake
A moist, spicy cake studded with sweet cranberries.
Ingredients
  • 200g butter, softened
  • 1¼ cup demerara sugar
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 320g/2½ cups self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 red apples, grated
  • 225g/1½cups dried cranberries
  • 75g/½ cup raisins
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 180 c/ fan 160 f/ gas 4. Line a 8 inch round cake tin with greaseproof paper or a greaseproof liner.
2. Beat together the butter, sugar, maple syrup, eggs, flour, baking powder and spices until the mixture is pale and thick. I pop my mixture into a food processor.
3. Fold in the fruit and spoon the batter into the cake tin. Bake for around bake for 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Do the skewer test. If it comes out clean it is ready.
4. Leave to cool slightly in the tin and then move onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
Details
Cook time: Total time:
Yield: 1 cake



37 comments

  1. WHY is it when it's most inappropriate that the mad urges for baking come??? I deliberately haven't bought flour - we're on moving rations, which mean things we can eat without leftovers -- so no baking, no cooking much but pasta and veg and chili and rice so we can get the kitchen cleaned out and the rest of the foods packed up...

    This cake is the FIRST THING I am going to make in the new place. YUM. I like that new blonde look.

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  2. delicious looking flavourful cake looks wonderful

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  3. This sounds delicious! We have an abundance of cranberries in New England and I like the addition of the apples! Thanks for a great recipe!

    Have a lovely week!

    Mary

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  4. That is just typical Tanita. Not long until your move now. I bet it is a bit hectic, all that packing up.

    Thanks Akheela :)

    I hope you try it then Mary :)

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  5. I can really see why this is a firm family favourite!

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  6. My dad just can't see past it Kate, although he prefers the darker cake, but then he is very set in his ways :)

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  7. Sounds delicious, imagine very moist, and almost healthy with all that fruit ;)

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  8. Well I would tell myself that too Helen and try to ignore the butter and sugar, hehe :D

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  9. Looks delicious, I'm a big fan of dried cranberries!

    Quick question about the flour - is 200g 2 1/2 cups, I thought a cup was usually about 140g???

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  10. sounds delicious - I've suddenly gone apple cake crazy this year - though I only made an apple cake last night because sylvia had eaten most of my eggs!

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  11. Just love your amazing cranberry and apple cake. Such a great idea to grate the apple instead of using chunks. I love the recipe...would love to try this, myself!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  12. This is a great recipe for me as I can easily adapt it to be sugar free! Thanks so much :)

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  13. Looks great and I checked out the first cake because I love treacle. I should make this for xmas as I miss my fruit cake over here in the U.S.
    Thanks for sharing..

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  14. Well you are right C, that is a typo, it should read 1½ cups of flour, but funnily enough I have been baking this cake according to my typo for the last three years and it is perfect. So I am going to change the grams to 320g. Well spotted! I am usually so careful and don't make stupid mistakes like that.

    Wish I could get Cooper to eat eggs Johanna, he flat out refuses them :)

    Actually, chunks of apple would be good in it as an addition Elizabeth :)

    Let me know how you get on Tandy :)

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  15. Ooh I'm glad you've made it lighter,
    I never buy treacle for some unknown reason but have lots of lovely maple syrup so will be perfect! Am a sucker for fruit cake, even more so with cranberries in, looks delicious!

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  16. Cranberries and spiced apples makes me think of Christmas. Is that wrong in August?
    Looks yummy!

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  17. looks so yummy...I am bookmarking this one..

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  18. I seem to have made the perfect cake for you Anne :)

    It will come round quicker than we could ever imagine Claire :)

    Glad you like it Neha :)

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  19. Hi Jac, is demerara sugar similar to brown sugar? Or are they the same thing?

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  20. Hi Sumaiyyah, yes it is just a type of brown sugar. Any brown sugar would do :)

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  21. The lovely warm spices in this cake are such a perfect match with the cranberries and apples...I'm so happy fall is almost here!

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  22. This makes me think of autumn--it would be great for colder weather (coming our way all too soon). Would never have thought to put butter on a cake!

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  23. Yum! What a lovely cake, perfect for afternoon tea to ;0)

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  24. No, don't say that Faith. I am really not ready for autumn.

    Maybe it is a Scottish thing Ricki. We sometimes spread butter on a slice of fruit cake. Not too often though.

    It is Chele :)

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  25. That's a lovely recipe. I'm just getting a few apples to harvest now, I might make one!

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  26. mmm, blonde is beautiful! And with all that fruit in it the sugar content isn't too bad either.

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  27. Looks great and perfect for me as have been looking for an easy fruit cake recipe. I don't like cranberries but am going to replace with nuts and apple.

    How many grams is one an a half cups?

    Thanks for this.

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  28. This sounds like my kind of cake. I'm always drawn to desserts with "spice" in the title...I'll be saving this one to try! =)

    p.s...I wanted to say thanks for "introducing" me to the fairy hobmother...I received a visit!! =)

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  29. Thanks for this Jac - my hubbie would just love it!!

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  30. Well both versions are worth making Matron :)

    I shamefully don't pay attention to that Nic, but then I never eat much cake anyway. A slice or two is enough for me, then I am happy to share.

    225g of cranberries caould be replaced by nuts GN :)

    Yay Heather, I am so glad you got a visist from the fairy hobmother. I look forward to hearing about it :)

    It is definitely a hubby-pleasing kind of cake Brownieville Girl :)

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  31. It sounds a delicious cake and just in time for the apple season too. And I've just bought a packet of cranberries and I'm thinking I could use some date syrup in it instead of the maple. Your cakes always look so good.

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  32. apples, cranberries, AND raisins, plus loads of fragrant spices makes gracie a happy gal. great cake, jacqueline!

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  33. I have never used date syrup before Choclette, but I think it would give the cake a lovely flavour.

    Thanks Grace :)

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  34. I really like spiced apple but never thought to try a spiced cranberry recipe.

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x