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honey dried fruit cake

Honey and Dried Fruit Cake- Honigkuchen mit Trockenobst

This old fashioned Honey and Dried Fruit cake is loaded with flavor from honey, rum and spices, so it's perfect for Fall and Winter baking. And although it's packed with dried fruit and nuts, it's not a stodgy Fruit Cake.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
30 minutes
Course Coffee Break
Cuisine German

Equipment

  • 1 Bundt Pan

Ingredients
  

Dried Fruits

  • 1 cup (approximate) Dried Figs 150 gram
  • 1 cup (approximate) Dried Dates 150 gram
  • 1 cup (approximate) Dried Apricots 150 gram
  • 3 ounce Rum 90 ml

Cake Batter

  • 1 ¼ cup Honey 400 gram
  • 1 cup Sugar 250 gram
  • 2 Tbl. Vanilla Extract
  • 6 Tbl Milk
  • 10 ½ Tbl Butter 150 gram
  • 4 cups Flour 500 gram
  • 3 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp. Ground Cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
  • 2 Tbl. Baking Powder
  • 1 ounce Rum 30 ml4
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 cup Chopped Walnuts 150 gram

Icing

  • 3 cups Powdered sugar 350 gram (approximate)
  • 2 Tbl Milk maybe more
  • 2 Tbl Rum maybe more

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 325℉
  • GENEROUSLY butter a Bundt pan. (This batter wants to stick, don't cut corners here)

Dried Fruit

  • Chop the dried fruits. You can chop them fine or rough... it's a matter of personal preference. Put into a bowl, add the rum.
    Set aside, but stir occasionally to make sure all the fruit gets some flavor.

Cake Batter

  • In a medium saucepan- combine the honey, sugar, vanilla, milk, and butter. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is melted, and the butter is liquid.
    Set aside to cool. (You can speed this up by setting the bottom of the medium saucepan in a bowl with ice water. Stir until the mixture cools)
  • Combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Add the baking powder. Stir to combine.
  • When the honey mixture is cool, pour it into a mixing bowl. With the mixer on low, add the eggs 1 at a time.
    Add the Rum
    Slowly add the flour mixture, beat until everything is combined. Scrape the sides and bottom to make sure you have it all.
  • Add the soaked dried fruit (go ahead and add any residual rum from the bowl...it can't hurt), and then add the walnuts. Beat on low to just combine.
  • Add the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the top
    Bake at 325°F for 65 minutes. Check with a toothpick, it should come out clean. You will probably need an additional 5 minutes.
  • Cool in pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan. Let cool completely before icing.

Icing

  • Combine Powdered Sugar, milk, and rum to a thick consistency. Add more powdered sugar if it's too thin. More milk or rum if too stiff.
    Pour over cake and let sit until it's set

Notes

If you don't want to use rum, leave it out. You can soak the fruit in orange juice instead. And use just milk in the icing (or add a touch of cinnamon powder).
 
Add powdered sugar and a little cinnamon to the whipped cream to serve if you like. Plain whipped cream is tasty too.
Keyword Fruit Cake, Honey Cake