This is a totally yummy fruitcake recipe!
Edna was my grandmothers cook, back in the 1940’s/50’s, and she always had this cake in the tin for tea. Years ago she gave me the recipe and I use it all the time – it never fails to cook well and impress.
The cake is stuffed with dried fruit and nuts and flavoured with orange rind and a little almond essence.
Ingredients
- 8oz / 250g butter
- 8oz / 250g caster sugar
- 3 – 4 eggs
- 5 oz / 150g plain flour
- 5oz / 150g self-raising flour
- 1/4 tsp salt (optional – I don’t )
- 18 oz / 560g mixed dried fruit or 16oz / 500g currents and sultanas + 2oz 60g chopped candied peel
- 2oz / 60g quartered glace cherries
- 2oz/ 60g chopped almonds
- Grated rind of 1 orange
Oven 140C / 280F. Cooking time 1hr 30 min – 2hours
Grease and line a 9″ cake tin and prepare:
Line the base with two layers of baking paper 
Measure a length of foil enough to fit round the tin plus 2″/5cm overlap 
Measure out a double length of kitchen roll to fit the foil 
Fold the kitchen towel into three layers…. 
…..then wet well and place onto the foil 
Fold the foil around the wet kitchen towel
This is a bit fiddly but well worth the effort as it prevents the cake from cooking to quickly around the sides.
Method
Weigh the dried fruit, cherries and almonds & add the grated orange rind 
Soften the butter 
Beat the butter and sugar till soft and fluffy 
Beat in the eggs one at a time 
Mix the flours together then add 3/4 into the batter and 1/4 into the fruit 
Mix the flour into the fruit to coat
This stops the fruit from sinking to the bottom
Gently blend the flour into the egg mixture
Add the almond essence
Add the fruit to the batter and stir in well 
Spoon into the prepared cake tin
Place in the middle of the oven to bake. Test after 90 min and subsequently every 15 – 30 mins till firm to touch and/or a bamboo skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin. Yummy delicious.
Notes:
- The cake freezes very well.
- Add mixed spices, ginger and cinnamon for Christmas flavour.
- Exchange half the white sugar with brown for a richer cake.
