Fruitcake

• 1 cup butter (gm 250)
• 1 cup sugar (ml 250)
• 5 eggs
• 2 cups seedless Raisins (gm 360)
• 2 cups sultanas (gm 360)
• 1 cup currants (gm 250)
• 1 cup dates, chopped (gm 250)
• 4 tablespoons mixed Peel (gm 50)
• 4 ounces pecans (gm 125)
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (ml 2.5)
• 2 teaspoons powdered ginger (ml 10)
• 4 teaspoons mixed spice (ml 20)
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves (ml 2.5)
• 2 cups flour (ml 500)
• 1 tablespoon cream of tartar (gm 5)
• 2 tablespoons baking soda (Bicarbonate of Soda) (gm 10)
• 1 tablespoon milk (ml 15)
• 1 tablespoon golden Syrup (ml 15)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (ml 15)
• 1 cup brandy (ml 250)
• 4 ounces cherries (gm 125)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Melt butter. Set aside to cool. When cool, mix with sugar and eggs in bowl large enough to accommodate all ingredients.

Stir in all raisins, sultanas, currants, dates, mixed peel, pecans, nutmeg, ginger, mixed spice, cloves, and flour. Mix well.

In small bowl, mix together cream of tarter, milk, syrup, vinegar and half the brandy. Add to dried fruit mixture. Stir to combine. Stir in cherries.

Spoon mixture into buttered 10 inch cake tin. Cover tightly and bake in preheated 250° F oven for 3 - 4 hours. (Optional - place shallow pan of hot water under mold. If you do this, check to see if water needs refilling.)

Remove from oven and pour remaining brandy over.

Pour more brandy over cake at least twice (every 3 - 4 weeks) after baking.

These cakes must be kept in an airtight container to ripen.

THIS RECIPE CAN BE DOUBLED OR QUADRUPLED. THE AMOUNTS GIVEN MAKE ONE, BUT IF YOU'RE THINKING OF GIFTS MAKE TWO OR FOUR.

Yield: 1 fruitcake

This recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com

Contributors: Marieta & Eric Peverell

HINTS: This recipe is not too sensitive to weights - if you add a handful of extra nuts, it would be OK.

I use a "Cake mix" than contains raisins, currents,sultanas and mixed peel - just add up the total weight needed and you need not worry about all the different kinds of fruit. If you wish, candied figs, melon, pineapple etc., can replace part of the raisins.

" Eric made this very same recipe for our wedding cake and I decorated it. We kept one layer for our first anniversary but missed out on that because our first child was about to arrive. Two years later we cut the cake, and it was perfect - naturally we did not bother too much about the amount of brandy and really soaked (preserved) it before I decorated it." Marieta Peverelli

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