This is from Alison Holst's Cooking for Christmas which is a great little book
This is from Alison Holst's Cooking for Christmas which is a great little book
Use a 23cm cake tin or two 18cm tins or make 12 (mini) 10cm cakes
1.5kg mixed fruit (good quality mixed fruit)
Or replace with 700g saltanas, 500g raisins, 250g currants and 50g mixed peel
450g crushed pineapple
3 cups flour
1tsp each cinnamon and mixed spice
half tsp ground cloves
225g butter
1 cup sugar
half tsp each vanilla, almond and lemon essences
6 large eggs
up to 1 cup extra flour
about 50g glace cherries and 50g blanced almonds for decoration
Two or three days before mixing the cake put the mixed fruit in a large plastic bag with the undrained pineapple.
Leave in a warm place turning occasionally until all the juice is absorbed
Note: to make immediately, discard liquid from pineapple, wash and dry the fruit the same day, and you are unlikely to need the extra flour.
Mix spices with 3 cups flour and put aside.
Cream butter and sugar and essences til light and smooth
Beat in eggs one at a time, adding about 2 tbsp of the spiced flur with each egg.
Toss together the prepared fruit and the remaining spiced flour in a large bowl or a roasting pan.
Stir in the creamed mixture using a wooden spoon or your hand.
Mixture should be just soft enough to drop from your hand. If it seems too soft add a bit more flour.
Press mixutre into paper lined tin(s) and level the top.
Decorate with almonds and cherries if you are not icing the cake.
Bake: 23 cake at 150°C for 1.5hrs then 130 for about 2 hours
18cm cakes at 140°C for 1 hour then 130 for an hour
mini cakes (225 - 250g each) at 130°C for 1.5hrs (Use paperlined well cleaned fish cans)
Cakes are cooked when a skewer comes out clean.
sprinkle hot cake(s) with about quarter cup brandy or sherry.
Remove from tin when cold.
