Easy Fruit Cake -

Easy Fruit Cake

Ingredients

397 g (14 oz) can condensed milk
150 g (6 oz) butter or margarine
275 g (10 oz) raisins
275 g (10 oz) sultanas
275 g (10 oz) currants
100 g (4 oz) pitted prunes, roughly chopped
275 g (10 oz) plain flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 eggs, beaten
50 g (2 oz) walnut pieces
50 g (2 oz) stem ginger, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon apricot jam, warmed
450 g (1 lb) almond paste corn flour, to dust
25 g (1 oz) blanched almonds
4 green glace cherries

Details

Serves: 12

Method

1 Grease and line the base of a 20 cm (8 inch) round, deep, loose­bottomed cake tin.

2 Put the condensed milk and butter or margarine into a large saucepan and heat gently until melted. Simmer for 2 minutes, stir­ring continuously. Remove from the heat and stir in the raisins, sul­tanas, currants and prunes. Leave to cool.

3 Sift the flour, spices and bicar­bonate of soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.

4 Add the eggs, walnuts, ginger and cooled fruit mixture. Beat well.

5 Spoon the mixture into the pre­pared tin. Using the back of a spoon, make a hollow in the top of the cake mixture. Place in a pre­heated oven, 150˚C (300˚F), Gas Mark 2, for 1 ½ hours. Cover with foil and cook for a further 15 min­utes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6 Cool in the tin. When cold, turn out the cake. If the top has risen, trim it level with a sharp knife. Turn the cake upside down and on to a plate. Brush with the apricot jam.

7 Roll out the almond paste on a surface lightly dusted with corn­flour. Cover the top of the cake with the almond paste, and trim around the edge.

8 Knead the almond paste trim­mings together and roll into 2 ropes, each 60 cm (24 inches) long. Twist together and wrap around the base of the cake.

9 Using a sharp knife, score a dia­mond pattern on top of the cake. Place under a hot grill for 3-4 min­utes, until golden. Toast the almonds for 2-3 minutes, until golden.

10 Slice each glacé cherry into 4 and decorate the cake with cherry slices and toasted almonds.

PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 1 ¾ HOURS
OVEN TEMPERATURE: 150˚C (300˚F), GAS MARK 2

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