Luxury Fruit Cake

Ingredients: 

Ingredients

1250 ml (5 cups) Flour, sifted
5 ml (1 tsp) Salt
5 ml (1 tsp) Ground Mixed Spice
5 ml (1 tsp) Ground Cinnamon
5 ml (1 tsp) Ground Ginger
500 g Butter
500 ml (2 cups) Huletts SunSweet Brown Sugar
8 Eggs
15 ml (1 tbsp) Grated Lemon Rind
750 ml (3 cups) Sultanas
750 ml (3 cups) Raisins (seedless)
500 ml (2 cups) Currants
500 ml (2 cups) Chopped Almonds
500 ml (2 cups) Chopped Glacé Cherries
375 ml (1 ½ cups) Chopped Candied Peel
3 ml ( ½ tsp) Bicarbonate of Soda
60 ml (4 tbsp) Strong Black Coffee
15 ml (1 tbsp) Vinegar
125 ml ( ½ cup) Brandy
Glacé Cherries and Blanched Almonds for the top
Method: 

Method

  1. Sift the flour, salt and ground spices together.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon rind.
  3. Combine the fruit.
  4. Coat the fruit with a little of the sifted flour mixture and fold into the butter mixture, alternating with the dry ingredients.
  5. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the coffee. Stir in the vinegar, coffee mixture and brandy to form a dropping consistency.
  6. Spoon the mixture into one 28 cm square cake tin which has been lined with a double thickness of foil or brown paper. If using foil, do not grease.
  7. Bake at 150°C for 2 hours. Lower temperature to 120°C and bake for a further 2 hours.

Note: Also makes 1 x 18 cm round tin, 2 x loaf tins (20 cm x 9 cm x 6 cm), or 6 x mini loaves.