Fruit Cake

It might seem slightly bizarre to bake this English teatime speciality suitable for the foggy rainy isle on the hottest day of the year but there is method in my madness.

Once the cake is mixed and baked, relatively easy and trivial tasks, then whenever anyone needs a nutritious, calorie rich snack they have only to go the cake tin, take out a hand sized portion and get out of the kitchen. No cooking, no hot stove, no hassle.



For this cake you'll need an approximately 25cm tin, we have a springform which makes getting the cooked cake out easier. Ideally it should be lined but you'll get away with greasing and flouring.

Put 750g of mixed dried fruit in a sauce pan and add 125g of sugar, 450ml of water and a big teaspoonful of black treacle. Bring to a simmer, stirring often and let remain on the heat for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and allow the fruit to steep in the hot syrup until cooled. *** I came back to this entry after a year and realised I'd not mentioned any fat in the recipe. I'm guessing there should be 125g margarine melted into the above mixture with the fruit but can't at the moment remember exactly what I did. Anyway this will work. Sorry. ***

In a mixing bowl combine 450g white flour with a sachet of baking powder (about two teaspoonsful) and some spice. I used a teaspoon full of cinnamon and a half tsp. of allspice.

Combine the fruit with the dry ingredients and mix well, then pour into the tin and smooth the top. Add some glace cherries if liked, press them down into the surface so they won't burn.

It will take about an hour to bake at 170C but check after 40 mins and again at 50 minutes. My oven is a bit uneven and not very well regulated and I burned the bottom of the cake a little. If it looks too brown too quickly turn the heat down a little. When a knife/skewer comes out clear of moist cake mixture the cake is cooked.

Allow to cool in the tin for half an hour, then remove onto a rack and allow to cool competely.

Serve with tea.