(Recipe adapted from Cook and Enjoy)

Economical fruitcake

• 2¼ c flour

• ¾ c brown sugar

• ¼ c butter or margarine

• 2 eggs

• ½ c golden syrup or molasses

• ½ t bicarbonate of soda

• ¼ t salt

• 1t mixed spice

• 1t ground cinnamon

• ¼ c brandy

• ¼ c raisins

• ¼ c currants

• ½ c candied orange peel

• ¼ c almonds

METHOD

• 1. See recipes for Christmas Fruit Cake for preparation of fruit and cake tin.

• 2. Beat the butter, adding the sugar gradually. Beat till creamy.

• 3. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

• 4. Add the syrup and mix thoroughly.

• 5. Sift together all the dry ingredients and fold it into the mixture.

• 6. Add the prepared fruit and the brandy and lastly the nuts.

• 7. Turn the mixture into a greased cake tin, lined with 3 layers of greased paper, and tie on a cover made of 2 layers of paper.

• 8. Bake in a slow oven at 150 ° C (300 ° F) for 3 hours.

This cake may be steamed for 2 hours and then baked for I hour. (See recipes on steamed puddings.)

South African Recipe:

Teaspoon measure (t) = 5 ml

Cup Measure (c) = 250 ml

Tablespoon (T) = 12,5 ml

My very late Christmas Fruitcake.

Don't need to read another word - Just go directly to the recipe and start baking

SOS

My Christmas cake was so nice, and we had visitors so we ate it.

Not to worry. This cake can be eaten immediately. The longer one leaves it (and feed it a bit of booze now and again) the nicer it is though, but it can be eaten almost immediately.

I prefer light fruit cakes so it does not matter if I bake late.

Regardless of the method of preparing the fruit in a fruitcake recipe,

I substitute it for my own, which is:

• Soak the fruit in brandy overnight,

• Drain as much of the brandy off just prior to baking

(The brandy is set aside for casual sipping during the baking process or adding to the wet ingredients later.)

• Pat the fruit dry and coat th fruit some of the sifted flour so that the cake mixture easier embraces the fruit.

(One can say I marry the fruit with the flour)

• If this is too messy, I just add a little of the sifted flour to the brandy and fruit mix first.

The reason for this is to get the fruit evenly distributed throughout the cake and not all the fruit doing breaststrokes at the top of the cake, or lazing around at the bottom.

When I choose a recipe I use my own dried fruit and nut mixtures as long as the combined weight is the same as the combined weight of fruit in the recipe.

I do the same with the nuts if I am going to use it.

I do not soak the nuts in brandy, though.

I choose the freshest ingredients and real butter for my very expensive Christmas cake, but many people will have to use what is cheapest this year.

Luckily for me, my husband is still working and Christmas cake time coincides with bonus month time, so I can splash out a bit.

• If the recipes I use do not make allowance for alcohol, I simply reduce the amount of fluid in the recipe.

Even people who do not take alcohol normally may add it to cooking.

The heat process used during cooking is supposed to destroy the active alcohol ingredient in fruitcakes. So they say, but watch out for my cake. I "skelmpies" feed it brandy or sherry so by Christmas time my cake is a swaying alcoholic.

We may no longer drink and drive so at least let the cake enjoy itself.

Something has to consume the booze.

Mind you, that is now another can of worms, come to think about it.

One does not want one of our guests to fail the Breathalyzer test because he/she ate a slice of my Christmas cake.

Perhaps I will bake alcohol free kiddies and drivers cake also and put a big warning sign on my alcoholic cake.

"Do not eat and drive" a doggy bag is recommended.

This particular cake is beboozled."

Happy late baking

Follow the link to the recipe

Microwave Fruit Cake

I found this recipe in my mother's old recipe book. It seems like an interesting way to bake a fruit cake.

I have not tested it, so it is posted for interest and for experienced cooks. When I test it I shall add my own comments.

Microwave Fruit Cake

• 125g butter or margerine

• 500g box dry fruit mix

• 125 ml snipped dates

• 125 ml mixed peel

• 250ml soft brown sugar

• 5ml bicarb

• 180ml water

• 125 ml snipped cherries OR lOO ml yellow sultanas soaked in orange juice

• 125ml chopped nuts (any nuts or lpkt Brazil + 1/2 pkt Pecan)

• 50ml brandy

• 500ml cake flour

• 5ml mixed spice

• 3ml ginger

• 5ml cinnamon

• pinch of salt

• 2 large eggs ' "~

• 5ml baking powder

Method

• Use dish with a funnel in middle. (or ring tin)
  
• Lightly grease dish,
  
• put wax paper in bottom.
  
• Put funnel in.
  
• Microwave butter 30 seconds on High.
• Add cake mix (dried fruit), dates, peel, sugar, mixed with bicarb and water.
  
• Microwave 5 minutes on High.
  
• Add nuts, cherries/sultanas, brandy, flour, mixed spice, ginger, cinnamon, salt and fold in.
  

• Add beaten eggs.

• Pour into dish and

• Microwave 20 - 22 minutes on Medium or Medium Low.

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