Tropical fruit loaf cake
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Tropical fruit loaf cake
Lovers of exotic flavours will enjoy this twist on a classic, with pineapple, mango, coconut and spiced rum. You can make it ahead of time, too
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Spencer Lengsfield
Ingredients
- 200g mixed dried fruit
- 100g glacé cherries, roughly chopped, plus extra to decorate (reserve any syrup for glazing)
- 100g dried pineapple, diced, plus extra to decorate
- 100g dried mango, diced, plus extra to decorate
- 100ml spiced rum, plus extra 1½ tbsp
- zest and juice of 1 orange (around 50ml)
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 140g golden caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 175g plain flour
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground mixed spice
- 25g ground almonds
- 50g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped, plus extra to decorate
- 50g desiccated coconut, plus extra to decorate
Step by step
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Combine all of the fruit with the 100ml of spiced rum, orange juice, citrus zest and vanilla. Stir, cover with clingfilm and soak overnight.
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Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 2. Line a 13cm x 23cm loaf tin with baking paper, ensuring it overlaps the edges of the tin.
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Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat using an electric hand whisk for 2 minutes on high speed, until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring the first is fully incorporated before adding the second. Sift in the flour and the spices, and fold into the mixture. Stir in the ground almonds, chopped nuts, coconut and soaked fruit. Dollop into the prepared tin and smooth out the top, tapping on the counter to ensure there are no bubbles. Bake for 2 hours – 2 hours 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool for 30 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely.
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Once cooled, pierce the loaf all over with a cocktail stick. Mix the extra 1½ tablespoons rum with any syrup from the container of glacé cherries and brush all over the cake. You can wrap tightly in baking paper and keep the cake for up to 4 weeks (or freeze for up fo six months); if you like, you can feed it with 1 tablespoon of rum every 1-2 weeks, using up to 6 tablespoons in total.
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When ready to gift the cake, decorate with extra glacé cherries, coconut, macadamias and dried fruit. Wrap in baking paper and gift wrap or pop into a clear gift bag.
