Easy fruit cake - fruity, boozy and ready for Christmas!

Fruit cake is made with chopped dried fruit, or cake mix as we know it here, which is steeped in either brandy or rum! This fruit mix is boiled and then, basically, flour and eggs are added to yield a rich, moist and utterly delicious cake! Fruit cakes come in all shapes and sizes: round, loaf size, plain or covered in marzipan - it all depends where you live, what the occasion is and what your preferences are.

My mum runs like a well-oiled machine, everything in her life is planned to the T. The countdown to Christmas is no exception and usually by October, mum starts filling the cookie tins and by the end of October she bakes her fruit cakes. You can deem yourself very lucky to be on the coveted list for one. Although mum bakes her cakes in October, she says that even if you bake them today (a month late) they will still be delicious by Christmas! It is important that you ripen the cake properly, feeding it with brandy or rum before your enjoy it!

Easy Fruit Cake

Makes one 23cm round cake

Ingredients:

• 500g mixed dried fruit or cake mix
  
• 250g butter
  
• 250ml sugar
  
• 250ml water
  
• 250g dates

Method

Begin by preparing your cake tin. Prepare your pan by treating it with Spray n Cook and also line the cake tin with two layers of baking paper. Bring the above ingredients to the boil and boil for 20 minutes, taking care not to burn the mixture. Allow to cool and, in the same pot, add the following:

• 10ml bicarb, dissolved in a little warm water
  
• 25ml brandy
  
• 10ml baking powder
  
• 500ml flour
  
• 2 eggs - beaten
  
• 100g nuts
  
• 100g cherries

Mix your cake batter properly and pour into the prepared tin. Bake for two hours at 140C. Check with a skewer to see if the cake is done. Remove cake from pan, but keep baking paper intact. Allow to cool and pour over your first 3 T of brandy. Keep in an airtight container and feed the cake with brandy two more times.

For more recipes go to www.my-easy-cooking.com.