Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi all please can some one give me a bit of advice on fruit cakes. How long should I soak the fruit in Brandy before baking? I need to make a rich fruit cake. Thanks

I think it’s normally recommended for about 12 hour to give the fruit time to plump up nicely. I usually put my fruit in the alcohol the day before and leave overnight, so sometimes mines been soaking for up to 24 hours before I bake!

Soak it for as long as you like. Place in an airtight container like a Kilner jar and keep in the fridge. Give the container a daily shake. Before use, drain the liquor through a sieve and use it to pour over the cake when baked. Wrap wet fruit in either a tea towel or kitchen roll to absorb excess liquid before adding to batter. Incorporate fruit evenly to prevent it sinking to the bottom of the batter. Sprinkling the fruit with a little flour before adding can help prevent sinking.

My fruit cake is fantastic and I soak with brandy lemon juice and orange juice for a week.