RECIPE: VG'S BOILED FRUIT CAKE

This fruit cake is really easy to make and it is moist too. Also, not much cleaning up to do too after making it. A good cake for afternoon tea. Can be eaten warm with custard, and iced with royal icing. We just eat it as it is. Mr G and I made around 100 of these cakes for our wedding to give guest as tokens. It took us two whole days to make it. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients
375g packet of mixed fruit*
250g butter*
2 cups sugar*
2 cups water*
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
4 cups flour - sieved
4 large eggs
2 tbsp mixed spice (don’t use all spice)

Method
Put * ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Mix well and turn off heat.

Add in baking powder and baking soda. Be careful at this stage as the soda has the tendency to rise very quickly. It looks as if a volcano is erupting. That is why you have to place the ingredients in a large pot to compensate for the soda.

Leave mixture overnight to brew.

Next day, heat oven to 180°c (160°c fan forced oven) and line a large square tin with baking paper. Grease the paper lightly with some butter.

Add flour, eggs and mixed spice to the cooked ingredients. You don’t have to use a mixer, just a wooden spoon. Mix thoroughly.

Bake in oven for around 1 hour and 15 mins (you have to start checking the cake at the 1 hour mark). Around 40 mins, put a tin foil on top of the cake to prevent the top from burning and to ensure an evenly cooked cake.