Ingredients
150 g sunflower oil (or other neutral oil or butter)
300 g sultanas
300 g currants
180 g brown sugar – we often omit this entirely, or dollop in 1 cup marmalade instead
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
150g plain flour
150g self raising flour
Handful of almonds, to decorate
Summary
A very simple, stalwart fruitcake that’s essential on long walks, or days in the garden. Keeps excellently and adapts with grace. It’s a classic!
Boil and Bake Fruitcake
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22-24 cm round cake tin and line it with baking paper.
In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except eggs and flour. Cook over a medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add eggs to mixture and beat well. Sift flours together, then add and beat well.
Spoon into tin, top with almonds and bake for 1 hour. If a skewer inserted into centre does not come out clean, cook for a further 5-10 minutes and try again.
Cool in tin on a wire rack. When cold, turn out and wrap tightly in foil. Store in an airtight container.
Variations: Every year we boil and puree whole citrus fruits and store 330g portions in the freezer, sometimes we’ll swap out some of the dried fruit for a portion of that and halve the water (otherwise it’s a bit wet). Zesty, lighter and delicious!
Hints and Tips
This recipe is by Stephanie Alexander
