2 lb Mixed dried fruit 4 x Eggs
4 oz Glace’ cherries 1/2 ts Flavoring (vanilla, lemon)
4 oz Candied fruit 1 tb Blackstrap molasses
3 oz Blanched almonds 8 oz Butter
10 oz Plain flour 8 oz Soft brown sugar
1 x Pinch salt 1 x Whisky to soak fruit
1/4 ts Bicarbonate of soda 250 ml Milk (to mix)
1 ts Mixed spice
(Note: (1) The mixed dried fruit should be such things as seedless raisins
and currants. (2) The 1/2 teaspoon of “flavoring” can be almond, or lemon,
or vanilla, or a mixture of the three. (3) “Mixed spice” is a combination
of cinnamon, allspice and mace: about 1/3 of each.) — Find a 9-inch cake
pan at least three inches deep; grease it, and line the bottom and sides
with a double thickness of greased baking parchment. Tie folded brown paper
or newspaper around the outside of the pan. (The paper is insulation, to
keep the sides of the cake from scorching as it bakes.) Set oven to
320-300F: have folded paper to stand the pan on when baking — place low in
oven. Pick over the dried fruit, removing any stems, etc. Wash, drain well
and spread over a cloth on a tray to dry. When dry, put in a bowl and pour
a small wine-glass of spirit over it. Cover well and leave overnight. —
Next day, add chopped peel, blanched chopped almonds, and cherries minced
and drained. Mix thoroughly. Sift together the flour, salt, soda and spice.
Beat the eggs well with the molasses and flavoring. Put the butter into a
large warmed bowl and beat until soft; then add the sugar and beat until
light and creamy. Beat in the egg mixture, about a sixth of it at a time,
then fold in half the flour mixture. Add remainder of the flour to the
fruit and mix well. Add fruit to creamed mixture and fold in well. Put into
pan and bake for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until done. If top of cake is
browning too fast, cover with a few thicknesses of paper. Reduce the oven
heat slightly every hour — about 10 degrees. Test with skewer for
doneness. Keep the paper wrapped around the cake in place until completely
cooled, so that the cooling takes place slowly. After completely cooled,
invert the cake, lift the baking parchment off the bottom, and sprinkle the
cake generously with the spirit of your choice. Wrap well in foil, put in a
sealed tin, and keep in a cool place (not necessarily refrigerated) . The
cake benefits from occasional unwrappings and sprinkling with more spirit.
It takes about 2 months to achieve maximum “mellowness”.
Yields
12 servings