Can I put nuts on top of fruit cake before baking?

[Justmuddlingalong]

I'm making a few fruit cakes to take through to family next week. I want to decorate the top with whole nuts of some kind. Maybe fruit too. But, because I'll be transporting them I don't want to just stick them on top with jam. Can anyone tell me, can I gently push them in the mixture just before it's finished baking, so that they're more secure. TIA.

Nuts definitely yes - think of Dundee cake with whole almonds on the top. I'm not sure about fruit. Maybe Google a recipe for fruit topped fruit cake and see what the instructions are?

The recipes I checked just stuck both fruit and nuts on with jam. Might just stick with nuts.

Fruit might burn but nuts are definitely ok, as long as the oven isn’t too hot. How long does the cake cook for? Some of them require you to put a circle of paper with a hole on it over the top (not touching the cake mix) which would protect any fruit or nuts on the top.

If you want to stick them a bit more securely after baking you could use baking glue (Dr Oetker do one - I bought it from IKEA!) or melt some sugar into caramel. That way they’ll definitely stick better than with jam.

It takes about an hour, so not that long that the nuts would darken too much. Will use the baking paper. If I glazed the whole top, that might help.

Dundee cake with whole blanched almonds arranged on top before baking is absolutely wonderful. Ages since I made one. I find it difficult not to pick off the baked/roasted almonds. Bakewell tart has flaked almonds baked on top, doesn't it?

I bought blanched almonds yesterday. I'm not making them until later next week, so fingers crossed.

Very wise to buy them blanched. I once set to work to peel a batch of whole almonds. The skins slip off easily after immersion in boiling water but it's very repetitive and my fingers were cramping up by the end. Never again!

My fruitcake has glacé cherries in addition to whole nuts (Brazils, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts) baked on top. Never tried any other fruit although I’m thinking Nigella Lawson has a fruitcake recipe with Italian or French glacé fruits baked on top in her Christmas book? I’d think you’d want something largeish and naturally on the moist side to prevent burning, so I’d avoid naked raisins and currants for example.

I’ve never needed to cover the top with parchment and it’s never burned. As soon as it comes out of the oven I brush it generously with an apricot jam/brandy glaze.

I bought a tub of glacé cherries because I couldn't find the bags of chopped ones to put in the mixture. I'll take the chance of putting some on top too. The apricot jams bought as well. So I'm all set. Thanks for the tips.