Il Cucinologo
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English Plumcake

17/11/2023

Traditionally, English Plumcake - known in Italy as “plumcake” but elsewhere as “fruitcake” or “Christmas cake” - is a rich dried fruit cake, which can vary according to availability or personal preferences. The Italian version often resembles a simple pound cake more, but here I propose a recipe inspired by the British variant with dried fruit.

Ingredients

  • 150 g butter at room temperature
  • 150 g brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 200 g 00 flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of grated nutmeg
  • 50 ml rum or brandy
  • 300 g mixed dried fruit and candied peel (for example, raisins, dates, figs, prunes, candied orange and citron), roughly chopped
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • Grated zest of 1 orange

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C and line a plumcake tin with parchment paper.
  2. Soak the dried fruit and candied peel in the rum or brandy for at least an hour before starting to prepare the plumcake, so they can absorb the liquor and become soft.
  3. In a bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one well into the mixture after every addition.
  5. Sift the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg, then add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until you have a homogeneous batter.
  6. Add the dried fruit and candied peel (with their soaking liquid), together with the grated lemon and orange zests, to the mixture and stir well.
  7. Pour the batter into the plumcake tin and level the surface.
  8. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the plumcake comes out clean.
  9. Leave the plumcake to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack until completely cool.

Interesting Facts

In England, fruitcake is a Christmas cake that many families prepare months before Christmas and “feed” with occasional splashes of alcohol to intensify the flavour. In Italy, the everyday version of plumcake is usually simpler and less rich, preferred for breakfast or snacks.

If you want an Italian touch, you could add a little almond or vanilla extract to the batter for extra aroma, or, instead of candied peel, use typical Mediterranean dried fruit such as almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts.