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!

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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.

• 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

 Method  

1. Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, add sugar and dried fruit and mixed spice, if using.
2. Add egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
3. 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.

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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)

1. 12oz dried mixed fruit - sultanas, raisins, dried cranberries, myrtilles, chopped - dates, figs, apricots, finely chopped crystallised ginger
2. 1 tbsp of marmalade - you could substitute apricot or orange jam)
3. 4oz of demerera or dark soft brown sugar (muscovado)
4. 4oz of butter or margarine
5. ¼ pint of water
6. 1 egg
7. 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

Method:

1. In a large bowl soak the dried fruit in the tea overnight
2. Preheat the oven to 160°
3. Line 2 x 1lb loaf tins
4. 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.
5. Dived the mixture between the tins , level the surfaces
6. Bake for 50 -60 mins until well risen and firm to touch.  Cool in the tins then transfer to a wire rack until cold.

For the ultimate fruit cake see the recipe for a Christmas Cake in my Christmas goodies section.

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