Frank's Recipes! Fruitcake

Frank's Recipes
Free Recipes Archive

Free Counter by Pliner.Net
dating, lasik, search, shopping
Visitors Since July 1, 1998

This location is no longer being supported or updated.
Please adjust your browser favorites to
http://www.franksrecipes.com

MENU

ť Cookbooks
ť Hints & Tips
ť Foodservice
ť Links
ť My Awards
ť My Guestbook
ť Recipe Archive
ť Software
ť Volume Cooking
ť Where Are You
ť About

Help support this site

Recipe Archives

Fruitcake

100ml (4 fl oz) clear honey
175ml (6 fl oz) sunflower oil
75g (3 oz) soya flour
150ml (quarter pint) water
150ml (quarter pint) rum or brandy
grated rind and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
half cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
225 g (8oz) sultanas
225g (8oz) raisins
50 g (2oz) chopped dried apple
Tablespoon mixed spice
100 g (4oz) chopped dried figs
100g (4oz) dried dates
100 g (4oz) chopped dried apricots
225g (8oz) currants
225 g (8oz) wholemeal plain flour
Extra rum or brandy for "Spiking"

The secret to a really good fruitcake is to make it well in advance - like a month or so. Then pour a couple of tablespoons of rum or brandy or whatever over it every couple of weeks. By the time you come to eat it is has "re-cooked" in the alcohol. Obviously it's not a good idea to feed to kids, alcoholics or drivers!

Try this one which is perfect for a Xmas cake if made June/July and spiked once a month.

Cooking time: 3 1/2 hours at 170C

Preheat oven and line your cake tin (about a 9 inch) with greased grease-proof paper. Mix the oil and honey together until a nice gooey mess. Beat the soya flour into the water and rum, then gradually beat into the oil and honey goo. Throw in the nuts, juice and peel of the orange and lemon and about half the flour. Mix it all up nicely, chuck in the spice then the rest of the fruit and flour. If it all seems too dry add a couple more tablespoons of booze - but remember this isn't the standard sloppy cake mix so it should be quite thick and difficult to stir - with more fruit and nuts than "cake" in evidence! I actually add MORE fruit than the "proper" recipe above because we like it that way! Plop the mixture into the cake tin and smooth the top. Cover the top with greased grease-proof paper (with a little fold in it to allow for the cake to rise a little - just in case it does which, by the way, it shouldn't!) and then cover the grease-proof with brown paper (this lot, in theory, stops the top of the cake burning before the middle is cooked).

Throw into the oven and wait! After the alloted time, remove from oven and do the "skewer test" to see if the centre of the cake is cooked. It might need anything up to another hour (I find ovens vary that much, regardless of the temperature setting). But remember it won't be completely dry because of all the fruit - you're just looking for the batter-y parts to be set. When you're happy that it's cooked, leave to cool in the tin. Turn out and keep for at least a few days (in an airtight tin) before eating. But it's a whole lot better if kept and "spiked" as per above!

If you want to use as a Xmas or special occasion cake, make a month or so in advance, pierce the top of the cake in several places with a skewer and pour over 2 tablespoons of brandy or rum. Wrap in clingfilm (NOT tinfoil as the foil will stick to the cake over a period of time) and place in airtight container in cool spot. Once a month open up your cake and pour over another 2 tablespoons of brandy.