This recipe comes from my first ever cookbook, not as heavy as traditional Christmas cake it is still delicious. Play around with the dried fruit, I often add chopped crystallised ginger and dried apricots to replace some of the raisins. Also I like to half fill the cake tin with the fruit mix then cover with a thin layer of rolled our marzipan and then top with the remaining cake mix.
Prep time 15min
Cook time: 3 hours
Serves 8
VG
200g butter, softened
200g soft brown sugar
3 large eggs
200g each raisins, currants and sultanas
50g ground almonds, optional
100g mixed peel
grated rind of ½ lemon
225g plain flour
1 level tsp each baking powder and ground cinnamon
Place the softened butter and sugar in a large bowl. beat together with a wooden spoon until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture in between. Then stir in the dried fruit, ground almonds, mixed peel and grated lemon rind. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Fold into the mixture adding a spoonful of milk if the mix is very stiff. Spoon into a lined 20cm cake tin and cook for 3 hours at 125°C. or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, eat as it is or drizzle with a little glace icing to give it a more festive feel.