Internal Cooked Temperature Fruit Cake

[flobadob]

I'm making a few cakes for Christmas with raisins, sultanas, cherries, currants and mixed peel, all of which I've been soaking in sherry and whiskey for about a week.

I know the standard rule for a cooked cake is that if you put in a spike and it comes out dry then the cake is ready.

But is there an accepted temperature that means the cake is ready? I know for most meats it's around 75 Celsius.

The cakes are baking for 1 hour at 160C and then another hour and a half at 150C but I'm doing them in a fan oven but working off my granny's old recipe from god knows what year.

Anyway, is there an internal temperature I could work off?

[zebo]

I've never heard of one, always gone with the sticky stick method!

[AuntPollyGrey]

If you are using a fan oven I would reduce the temperature by 20C so you should cook at 140C Fan and reduce to 130C Fan

https://hellotable.com.au/conversion-charts/

[Buenchico]

This website offers 5 tests for checking whether a cake is done and then goes on to explain why internal temperature isn't a particularly useful test:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2019/07/01/how-to-tell-when-cake-is-done

[woofgang]

i think the problem with a fruit cake is that it would depend on what was touching the probe....I know with my probe thermometer, its no good for things like chicken kievs or dishes with a melting centre.

[flobadob]

Hmmm, well the kitchen has been smelling fragrant for over an hour and there's still half an hour to go based on the recipe lol.

I think I'll use my temperature probe as a skewer and just check the temp out of interest, but mainly as a skewer.

Thanks for the info everyone :)

[flobadob]

I did actually lower the temps by about 10 degrees, but not 20 and I've set the timer for 15 minutes less than the recipe states.

[woofgang]

the other test that I was taught to use (and they use on Bake off) is to listen to the cake. If its still singing quite loudly then there is still a lot of liquid in the cake. If its silent then its probably overcooked.

[flobadob]

woofgang, there's no chance of me hearing the cake with all the christmas music playing on the kitchen x)

[flobadob]

I took them out to check 15 mins before the stated time. They were around 98C which I think is in and around correct but they felt a little wet still so just gonna give them the last 15 minutes.