A slab of fruit cake has always been a favourite with a cup of tea and this cake has served me well over the years. I made it when I was flatting in London in the ’70s for my Christmas cake and when we lived on the farm in the ’90s, I served it to the shearers for afternoon tea. I have shared it many times with friends, so hope you enjoy it too.
Makes: 25cm square cake
Prep time: 20mins | Cook time: 3 hrs 30min
Ingredients
- 250g butter
- 625 g flour
- 500g brown sugar
- 1.25 kg mixed dried fruit
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 300ml dark ale
- 1 tsp baking soda
Method
Preheat the oven to 115°C. Grease a 25cm-square cake tin and line with baking paper.
In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour with your hands. Add the sugar, fruit and spice.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla.
Warm the dark ale in a saucepan on a gentle heat, then add the egg mixture and baking soda. Mix into the dry ingredients and combine well. Pour into the prepared cake tin.
Bake for 3½ hours, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the tin. Cool in the tin
TIPS
• If you don’t have a large tin you can use a 20cm-square tin and a loaf tin. Cooking time will be reduced.
• This cake can be cut into squares or slices or iced for a traditional Christmas cake.
• It can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 months.