Boiled Fruit Cake

Submitted by Coasty

"This recipe comes from my great grandma, maybe not exactly as she would have made it. Apparently my great granddad liked it fried in butter for breakfast. Up until now it has been a verbal recipe so my mother and I have put it down in "writing for prosterity. It's not a fancy fruit cake but something for everyday. I like this with a blue cheese."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 10

ingredients

• 375 g mixed dried fruit
• 50 g glace cherries
• 1 tablespoon mixed peel (optional)
• 125 g butter
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 3⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄4 cup brandy
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon clove
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1⁄4 teaspoon mace
• 1 pinch salt

directions

1. Place dried fruit, mixed peel, cherries, water, brandy, sugar and butter in pan.
2. Heat gently, bring the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Take of heat and add the bicarb soda, stirring through, mixture will foam up a bit. Leave until cold.
4. Sift flours and spices.
5. Mix the eggs through the fruit mixture, then combine with dry ingredient.
6. Pour into a lined 18cm square cake pan or 18cm round cake pan.
7. Wet your hand and flatten top of cake.
8. Bake at 150C for 1 hour.
9. Cool in pan covered with a tea towel.

Reviews

[loof751]

This fruitcake is absolutely wonderful! So spicy and chock full of fruit. The dried fruit I used was a mixed variety of apples, apricots, raisins, plums and cherries. I made this in 4 ceramic mini-loaf pans; I checked it during baking and the cook time ended up being the same as you specified for a single cake. Great texture, great flavor - thanks for sharing a family recipe!

 

[Grammabobbie]

My husband received a dried fruit/nut box from his boss at Christmas. There was a lot! I could barely chew anything in that box, so I searched for a recipe, which brought me here. That certainly is the way to eat this dried fruit, boil it with brandy, sugar and water! The cake turned out pretty tasty, but it only took 45 minutes to bake, not an hour. I was watching it close. Can you tell me the country of origin for this recipe? It was a little work to put together, but now I can share it with hubby's work crew. It has a wonderful nut bread flavor, not a typical fruit cake because there is no nasty citron fruit in it :) Thank you for a great recipe!!