
A selection of fruit cakes
This is one very messy page from my cuttings recipe book - before the days of computers. How good the recipe is can be rated by how messy the page is - this page is very messy!
This is one very messy page from my cuttings recipe book - before the days of computers. How good the recipe is can be rated by how messy the page is - this page is very messy!

1. Family Fruit Cake
This is a recipe given to be by my father-in -law who for many years made one of these cakes every week. It is quite a light fruit cake but is delicious.
I have transcribed the recipe below more for the clarity of the scan than the legibility of the hand writing.
This is a recipe given to be by my father-in -law who for many years made one of these cakes every week. It is quite a light fruit cake but is delicious.
I have transcribed the recipe below more for the clarity of the scan than the legibility of the hand writing.
- 8oz Self Raising Flour
- 1 level tsp mixed spice
- ½ level tsp cinnamon
- 4oz butter or margarine
- 4oz sugar
- 4oz currants
- 4oz sultanas
- 1oz mixed peel
- 1 egg
- approx ¼pint milk
- Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, add sugar and dried fruit and mixed spice, if using.
- Add egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
- Put into lined 2 lb loaf tin or 6" round cake tin. Sprinkle demerara sugar over the top and pat down with the back of a spoon (this gives a nice crunchy top) and bake for approximately 1 to 1 ¼ hours in a preheated oven at 180 C / 160 C fan / Gas 4 until a skewer comes out clean.

2. WI Fruit Cake - works every time!
The is a recipe which I copied down on this scrappy piece of paper at a WI meeting.
(WI is the Womens' Institute an organisation in the UK for women - they are famous for making jam and singing Jerusalem. A Yorkshire group was one of the first groups to produce a riské calendar in aid of Cancer research)
3. Fruited Tea Bread
This recipe comes from a GI cook book so it must be good for you! An excellent cake to make in advance and good for talking out walking. This recipe will make 2 cakes if the mixture is divided between 2 loaf tins. Bake together then freeze one for later At 16 slices per loaf one slice is 98kcal.
Ingredients
The is a recipe which I copied down on this scrappy piece of paper at a WI meeting.
(WI is the Womens' Institute an organisation in the UK for women - they are famous for making jam and singing Jerusalem. A Yorkshire group was one of the first groups to produce a riské calendar in aid of Cancer research)
- 12oz dried mixed fruit - sultanas, raisins, dried cranberries, myrtilles, chopped - dates, figs, apricots, finely chopped crystallised ginger
- 1 tbsp of marmalade - you could substitute apricot or orange jam)
- 4oz of demerera or dark soft brown sugar (muscovado)
- 4oz of butter or margarine
- ¼ pint of water
- 1 egg
- 8oz S.R Flour or plain flour and a tsp of baking powder or here levure chemique, add 1tsp of mixed spice and 1 tsp cinnamon
- Put ingredients 1 - 5 in a large pan and bring to simmer, allow to simmer gently for 20mins, stir occasionally to make sure all the ingredients are mixed.
- Take off the heat and allow to cool
- Heat oven to 170° (Fan 140°/150°) Line a 1lb loaf tin I have to admit I now use the loaf tin liners from that well known kitchen store in the UK - so much easier)
- Add the beaten egg and sieved dry ingredients.
- Bake in the loaf tin for 1¼ to 1½ hrs check it is cooked through, leave to cool in tin.
- A baking tin or tray of water in the bottom of the oven keeps the cake moist.
3. Fruited Tea Bread
This recipe comes from a GI cook book so it must be good for you! An excellent cake to make in advance and good for talking out walking. This recipe will make 2 cakes if the mixture is divided between 2 loaf tins. Bake together then freeze one for later At 16 slices per loaf one slice is 98kcal.
Ingredients
- 400g of mixed dried fruit (see above for ideas)
- 425ml hot tea
- 350g wholemeal plain flour ( I substitute rye flour or even a mixture of rye and chestnut)
- 2tsps mixed spice
- 2 ttsps baking powder
- 50g light muscovado sugar
- 175g dates, chopped
- 110g dried apricots, chopped
- 25g butter, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten
- In a large bowl soak the dried fruit in the tea overnight
- Preheat the oven to 160°
- Line 2 x 1lb loaf tins
- Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mixed well. Add the soaked fruit and any extra liquid, then mix i all the remainiing ingredients.
- Dived the mixture between the tins , level the surfaces
- Bake for 50 -60 mins until well risen and firm to touch. Cool in the tins then transfer to a wire rack until cold.