Mary Berry Light Farmhouse Fruit Cake is a timeless tea-time classic made with a pale, buttery sponge speckled with juicy sultanas and quartered glacé cherries. Unlike heavy, dark fruit cakes, this recipe uses ground almonds to keep the crumb tender and moist without being dense. It is the ultimate “cut-and-come-again” cake, perfect for having on the counter when friends drop by for a cup of tea.
Mary Berry Light Farmhouse Fruit Cake Ingredients
- 100g (4 oz) Glacé Cherries: Quartered. It is essential to rinse and dry these thoroughly to stop them from sinking.
- 225g (8 oz) Sultanas: The main fruit component.
- 225g (8 oz) Self-Raising Flour: Sifted. This gives the cake a lighter lift than plain flour.
- 175g (6 oz) Butter: Softened to room temperature.
- 175g (6 oz) Caster Sugar: For a sweet, fine crumb.
- 3 Large Eggs: Beaten.
- 50g (2 oz) Ground Almonds: Mary’s secret ingredient for moisture and flavor.
- Finely grated rind of 1 Lemon: (Optional) Mary often adds this for a fresh lift.
How To Make Mary Berry Light Farmhouse Fruit Cake
- Prepare the fruit: Cut the glacé cherries into quarters. Place them in a sieve and rinse them under running water to remove the heavy sugar syrup. Dry them thoroughly on kitchen paper. Toss the dried cherries and sultanas in a small bowl with a tablespoon of the measured flour. (This coating helps suspend the fruit in the batter).
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C Fan/325°F/Gas 3). Grease a deep 15cm (6-inch) or 18cm (7-inch) round cake tin and line the base and sides with double-thickness baking parchment.
- Cream the mixture: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and caster sugar together using an electric whisk or wooden spoon. Beat for about 3–5 minutes until the mixture is very pale, light, and fluffy.
- Incorporate the eggs: Add the beaten eggs to the butter mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture looks like it is curdling, add a tablespoon of the flour.
- Combine the batter: Gently fold in the remaining sifted flour and the ground almonds using a metal spoon. Finally, fold in the prepared cherries, sultanas, and lemon rind (if using). Stir gently until the fruit is evenly distributed.
- Bake the cake: Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for approximately 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours.
- Check the texture: The cake is ready when it is golden brown on top, firm to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly before the center is cooked, cover it loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes.
- Cool the sponge: Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes to settle. Turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before peeling off the parchment paper.
Recipe Tips
- The Cherry Trick: Rinsing and drying the cherries is the most important step in this recipe. The heavy syrup on commercial cherries makes them slide through the batter to the bottom. Washing them creates friction so they stay suspended.
- Oven Temperature: This cake cooks at a lower temperature (160°C) than a standard sponge (180°C). This allows the dense batter to cook through to the center without burning the edges.
- Ground Almonds: Don’t skip the almonds. They provide natural oils that keep the cake moist for days. If you have a nut allergy, replace them with an equal weight of flour, but add a splash of milk to loosen the batter.
- Storage: Unlike a rich Christmas cake, this doesn’t need weeks to mature, but it does taste better if left in a tin for 24 hours before slicing.
What To Serve With Farmhouse Fruit Cake?
This cake is designed to be eaten simply, perhaps with a dusting of icing sugar on top. It is the perfect partner for a pot of English Breakfast tea. In some parts of Britain, a slice of light fruit cake is traditionally served with a wedge of sharp Cheddar cheese or Wensleydale, where the savory cheese complements the sweet sultanas.
How To Store Leftovers Farmhouse Fruit Cake?
- Room Temperature: Store the cake in an airtight tin or container wrapped in parchment paper. It keeps perfectly well for up to 2 weeks in a cool place.
- Freeze: This cake freezes excellently. Wrap the whole cake (or slices) in double layers of cling film and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Light Farmhouse Fruit Cake Nutrition Facts
- Calories: ~350 kcal
- Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Protein: 5g
- Nutrition information is estimated per slice based on 10 servings.
FAQs
Yes, you can substitute the sultanas for a bag of mixed dried fruit (peel, raisins, currants), but ensure the total weight remains the same (approx. 325g total fruit).
Mary Berry often uses the all-in-one method (dumping everything in a bowl and mixing), but for fruit cakes, the creaming method (steps 3-5) usually provides a better structure to hold the fruit up.
Fruit sinks if it is wet/syrupy (wash your cherries!) or if the batter is too thin/over-beaten. The coating of flour on the fruit helps prevent this.
Try More Recipes:
- Mary Berry Simple Pancake Mixture Recipe
- Mary Berry Buttermilk Pancakes Recipe
- Mary Berry Marmalade Loaf Cake Recipe
Mary Berry Light Farmhouse Fruit Cake Recipe
Description
A classic light fruit cake featuring cherries, sultanas, and almonds, baked slowly for a moist, tender crumb.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the fruit: Rinse and dry cherries; toss fruit in a little flour.
- Preheat the oven: Set oven to 160°C; line a deep 7-inch tin.
- Cream the mixture: Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Incorporate the eggs: Beat in eggs gradually.
- Combine the batter: Fold in flour, almonds, and prepared fruit.
- Bake the cake: Bake for 1.5 to 1.75 hours until a skewer is clean.
- Cool the sponge: Rest in tin for 10 mins before turning out.
Notes
- Washing the syrup off the cherries prevents them from sinking.
- Ground almonds add essential moisture and texture.
- Cover with foil if the top browns too quickly during the long bake.
