Ingredients:
200g currants
115g sultanas
60g raisins
60g glace cherries – halved
60g cut mixed peel
60g mixed chopped nuts
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 ½ table spoon of brandy (optional)
150g plain flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
30g ground almonds
115g soft brown sugar
115g butter
1 tablespoon treacle
3 eggs
Oven: 140c/ gas mark 1
Line a 6” round (approx. 3” deep) cake tin with two layers of greaseproof paper. This protects the sides and base of your cake as its needs to be baked for quite some time.
Wrap a double thick strip of brown paper or newspaper around the outside of your cake tin. This adds extra protection to the sides of the cake. This ensures a slow even bake and doesn’t allow the sides to bake too quickly
Method:
In a mixing bowl combine the currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries, peel, nuts, lemon rind and brandy (if using). Stir until the fruit is well mixed and coated in the Brandy. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
The next day – using a large mixing bowl combine all the other ingredients on the list. I used an electric hand mixer. Mix until it’s a smooth glossy consistency. Then add the fruit mixture to this and mix well until fully combined.
Spoon the fruit cake mixture into your lined tin, press the mixture down well with the back of the spoon leaving a smooth flat surface on the top and place in the centre of a preheated oven to bake. Check your cake after 2 ½ hours, insert a clean skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is baked. The cake should also spring back once pressed gently on the top and should have shrunk back from the sides of the tin.
Once the cake has cooled slightly pierce several times with a skewer and spoon over a few spoonful’s of brandy. This increases the storage time and ensures the cake remains moist. Leave the cake in the tin to cool, once cooled remove the cake from the tin, remove the greaseproof paper and wrap in clean greaseproof and then cling film and store in a cool dry place.
Rich fruit cakes should be made approx. 2/3 months in advance to allow the cake to mature and the flavour to develop.
Tips:
Fruit cakes don’t rise very much when they bake, your mixture should be approx. 2cm from the top of your cake tin.
The brandy can be replaced with orange juice if you don’t want to use Brandy.
Once the cake is all mixed together and in the cake tin, it can be covered with cling film and kept in a cool dry place to be baked the next day if needs be.
When measuring out the treacle, place your measuring spoon in a cup of hot water to warm before spooning out the treacle, this will stop the treacle from sticking to the spoon as much.
You can if you want ‘feed’ your cake once a month with a little extra brandy.