This candied fruit cake is Pierre Hermé's signature recipe, celebrated for its incomparable moistness. Unlike traditional dry cakes, this version remains tender thanks to two foolproof tricks: coating the fruit in all the flour and a resting time of 4 days. Perfect for afternoon tea or end-of-year celebrations, this traditional cake will delight candied fruit pastry lovers.
How to prevent candied fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake?
That's THE question everyone asks! The two tricks I found (from Mercotte I think), is to mix the candied fruit with all of the flour (and not just coat them with a little flour). This technique allows the fruit to be well distributed throughout the entire cake batter.
The secrets of an ultra-moist cake according to Pierre Hermé
The main trick for a nice moist cake: wrap it in plastic wrap as soon as it comes out of the oven and let it rest for 4 days so the flavors develop (advice from Pierre Hermé himself). You can also soak the cake with a brix syrup just as it comes out of the oven. It's a good trick but remember to reduce the sugar in the cake if you do it because the syrup adds quite a bit of sugar.
The recipe itself is very simple: the day before, let the raisins soak in a bowl of rum. For the rest, just mix the softened butter and sugar, the flour and the candied fruit and mix it all together. The trickiest part remains the baking. Pierre Hermé recommends making a cut with a knife in the batter lengthwise when it has started to set, this allows for more harmonious cake development.
Candied Fruit Cake by Pierre Hermé
