Ingredients :

• 1 kg mixed dried fruit — The base and heart of the cake. Take a store-bought mix — raisins, orange and lemon peel, chopped apricots, cranberries. If you find one with dates, even better. Average quality is more than enough: the fruits will soak for 24h and completely change texture.
• A pack of glace cherries — In addition to the mix. Red cherries cut in half provide those ruby spots of color that make the cake look appetizing when sliced. If they seem very syrupy and sticky, give them a quick rinse under cold water — otherwise, they all sink to the bottom during baking.
• 2 cups chocolate milk — This replaces the soaking liquid while adding a light cocoa depth. Standard chocolate milk does the job just fine. No need for high-quality chocolate — the subtlety gets lost after 8h of cooking anyway.
• ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream + vanilla — We replace the traditional alcohol with full-fat heavy cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. The cream provides fat and richness, while the vanilla gives that fragrant background that would otherwise be missing. Full-fat only — the light version won’t do.