Sweets / RICETTI
Maltese Christmas tutti frutti cake
A dense cake of candied fruit and nuts, documented among Malta’s older Christmas cakes.
◷ 130 min / 12 servings
Method
- Chop cherries, peel and dates and mix with raisins and rum. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Heat the oven to 160°C, or 140°C fan. Line the base and sides of a deep 20 cm cake tin with baking paper.
- Roughly chop walnuts and almonds and add to fruit with lemon zest. Mix flour with baking powder and stir into the mixture.
- Beat eggs with sugar and fold into fruit until no dry flour remains. Spoon into the tin and level.
- Bake for 80–100 minutes until a skewer in the centre comes out without wet batter. Cover loosely with foil if the top darkens early.
- Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then on a rack. Slice only when completely cold.
✳ From the kitchen
A home version of the older cake described by Michael Diacono, distinct from ice cream sharing its name. Time excludes soaking. Contains alcohol.
Tradition reference
Michael Diacono · Older Maltese Christmas cakes, Gourmet Today, 2016 ↗Reference for the dish tradition. This recipe is an original home-kitchen adaptation; family versions vary. Not professionally kitchen-tested.