Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi there
I’m hoping to start my hubby’s 50th birthday cake this weekend (10 weeks in advance!) by making the fruit cake layer.
For the first time ever I have bought some 5″ deep tins and plan to double up the recipe and bake a 4″ cake.
Do you have any tips to help keep it moist and evenly baked? and how long do you think it might take to bake?
Many thanks – Gerry x

Hello Gerry

If you have a tried and trusted recipe it would be easier to convert it for a 5″ tin, keeping the temperature the same as the original recipe. Any recipe can be converted using my ready reckoner or the cakeometer tool here:

What Size cake tin to use

I can’t say how long you would need to bake the cake in your oven as all appliances are different and timing is something you would need to keep an eye and nose on. I can tell you in my fan assisted oven I bake a 4″ deep fruit cake for approx 1 hr 20mins at a starting temperature of 130c for the first half an hour reducing to 120 for the remaining time.
The information in my blog here may be of help:

Baking Problems and Solutions by madeitwithlove

Tips on baking a moist fruit cake follow Mrs Jones fruit cake instructions here:

Fruit Cake

Hope this helps.

I am a numpty!! I didn’t make myself clear at all in my dimensions!
My cake is 8 inch diameter and the 4 inch bit refers to depth – never having made a cake quite so deep before.
I’m pretty happy with the recipe, (having used it for a fair few Christmas cakes) and in a square “normal” depth tin of about 2&half inches I think it is normally in the oven for about 4 hours…
Thank you so much for your reply I will pop off to your blog now, however I would be most grateful for any guidance on how long you bake a cake as per above for normally (realise it will only be a guide)

Thanks again

Hi Gerry

Let’s just get this right because I’ve got my giddy head on as well!
You’ve got an 8″ fruit cake recipe which you normally bake in an 8″ square tin for 4 hours and which finishes to a depth of 2.5″?? You want to bake same recipe in an 8″ round, 5″ deep tin to hopefully get a 4″ deep cake? ……….
To get the depth you want, the recipe does not have to be doubled. It just needs to be increased by a further 25% or a quarter.
If you double the recipe the mixture will spill over the sides.
Increasing it by the 25% the bake time will more or less be the same as for the square 2.5″ deep, keeping to the same temperature as for the original. Check for doneness at time up and bake on if necessary checking every 5 minutes until done.

If you want to double the recipe make the parchment collar quite deep and pile the batter in to what you think will give you a really deep cake. The collar will keep overspill batter contained. The timing would change, so you’d need to baby sit the cake after checking at the initial time up, then bake on until done. Baking on a lower temperature will also be beneficial. It just prevents fruit burning and the sides and top getting hard.

Tips for an even bake and moistness:
Double line the tin with parchment keeping a deep collar. Wrap the outside of the tin with either baking strips or brown paper and string ( the old fashioned way haha!). Soak the fruit in your favourite tipple for at least a week to plump it up. Wash, dry and flour fruits like cherries and angelica so they don’t sink to the bottom. All the usual precautions really. Have a look how my dear old mum used to make fruit cake:

Preparing for a Moist Christmas Cake

The aroma is so evocative! x

Hope the above helps, sorry to have got so confused at first.

Thank you for such a helpful answer MIWL!!

Well he’s gone in! – (before I realised you had answered!)….So I have my fingers crossed…some things are in line with you answer, some not, and hubby will not be peturbed at all if I have to make another since according to him there can never be enough fruit cake in the house and he only gets it at Christmas!

The doubled recipe did indeed all go in (eek!!- how much does fruit cake rise??) There is about 2cm of tin left above the batter and then indeed a deep parchment collar and thankfully, I remembered to double line.

The fruit has only been soaking for a day, and I hadn’t known that trick about the cherries, so will do that if a second attempt is needed…

Baking strips are on, water is in bottom of oven and Ive balanced a “lid” of parchment on top of the collar with a hole in it (a delia thing)

Well! you’ve done everything needed for a great cake.
Fruit cakes don’t normally rise very much as long as you’ve used plain flour. If it does dome a bit, put a weight on it as soon as it comes out of the oven to squigg it down. We’ve just finished eating our second fruit cake which I made for last Christmas. Mine are very drunk indeed-dee!! The smell in the tin is most intoxicating, oh, mmmmm, the FUMES!!
You must report back when the cake has been cut for hubby’s birthday. Wish him felicitations!

Thanks again….

Oven was on low yesterday (about 120 throughout) and the BEAST took 7 HOURS to cook, and ended up at about 4.75inches

He still seems moist though and will get a good 8 weeks’ of soaking now….just jolly well hope it’s cooked right through in the middle…

Thanks again for your help and will indeed report back! – Just the sponge layer now, but that’ll be in a couple of months…Ive watched Paul’s ganache lessons from beginning to end 😀

Gerry