Romy Gill’s fruit cake from the Atwal Hotel

Name: Romy Gills Fruit cake from the Atwal Hotel
Cook time: 1 h 30 min

The chef shares a recipe for a favourite childhood cake which was sold at Christmas outside the Atwal Hotel in India.

Fruit cake from the Atwal Hotel | Penguin Random House

By Romy Gill | Published - 17 Sep 2025

Cooking Time

1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients

200g (7oz or 1 generous cup) mixed dried fruits
250g (9oz or 1 generous cup) glacé cherries, chopped
100g (3½oz or ⅔ cup) dates, chopped
200ml (7floz or 1 scant cup) orange juice
3 medium eggs
200g (7oz or ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp) butter, at room temperature
175g (6oz or ¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
300g (10½oz or 2½ cups) self-raising flour
50g (2oz or ⅓ cup) almonds, chopped
50g (2oz or ⅓ cup) cashew nuts, chopped
50g (2oz or ⅓ cup) walnuts, chopped
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200 ml (7 fl oz or 1 scant cup) whole (full-fat) milk

Method

Place the mixed dried fruits, glacé cherries and dates in a bowl with the orange juice and leave to soak for 20-30 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the butter and sugar, and beat together until smooth.
Sift in the flour then stir in the nuts and ground spices.
Add the milk and soaked fruits and beat the mixture again until well-combined.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/375°F/gas 5 and line a loose-based 25cm (10in) round cake pan with parchment paper.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and cover the top with foil.
Place the cake pan on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Leave to cool then carefully remove from the cake pan.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This cake stores well in an airtight container. Enjoy a slice with a cup of chai.

Romy Gill’s India: Recipes from Home (Quadrille), RRP £28, out now.

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Read Romy Gill’s article where she celebrates the food of her childhood.

(Hero image credit: Romy Gill)

Written by: Romy Gill

Romy Gill MBE is a celebrity Indian chef, food/travel writer and broadcaster based in the southwest of England. Romy was one of the regular and much-loved chefs on BBC1’s Ready Steady Cook and has appeared on numerous other television shows.
Romy also regularly contributes to national and international publications including BBC Food, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The New York Times and much more. She travels across the UK and abroad to guest chef residences, food demos and conferences.

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