I'm going to preface this entry by saying that this is, without a doubt, the best fruit cake I have ever eaten. It received masses of compliments by the many family members who partook of a slice, and has ignited a new fondness for a 'genre' of cake I could previously take or leave. High praise for what was actually a very straightforward cake to make, hence the 'quick' in the title. What did take a bit of time, as per usual, was the preparation of the ingredients. I keep making the mistake of pre-heating the oven straight off, simply because it's always the first instruction. Oodles of electricity drains away while I faff about lining tins and measuring things, so I need to get into the habit of doing all that first. The oven doesn't really take very long to reach 160 degrees anyway!
As expected, there is a massive amount of fruit in this cake - currants, raisins, sultanas and glace cherries. No sugar is added but additional sweetness comes from the naughty tin of condensed milk which is mixed up with melted butter and the fruit in a saucepan. Stirring a mixture like this always provides a good workout for the arms! Once it was all melted and lovely, I had to leave it to cool for ten minutes while I got on with the 'dry ingredients'. These consisted of self-raising flour, mixed spice and cinnamon, with a couple of eggs chucked in before adding the fruit mixture. I mixed it all by hand (more elbow grease), and was really careful to make sure all the flour was blended in. It's very easy to miss bits I've found!
Baking time was recommended at between 1hr 45mins and 2hrs; I opted for the former but after testing with a skewer I gave it another five minutes. It was nice and golden on the top and smelt divine - all rich and Christmassy. We were heading out, and I hadn't left enough cooling time, so it sat on the worktop under one of those fly pyramid things just in case we had any unwelcome visitors wishing to leave deposits! It was a heavy beast, which I think actually makes it easier to turn out of a tin and move around.
I made this cake at the request of my Mum, who wanted me to make a fruit cake for a family party. The 'quick' element appealed, as did the fact that it didn't need feeding with alcohol or to sit in a tin for a week or two before eating. It's kept very well; it's now a week since I baked it and there's still a bit left - still lovely and moist. As I said, those who sampled a slice were very complimentary; I was surprised by how much of it was eaten, given the plethora of cakey delights on offer. Pitted against chocolate cakes, I'd always think a fruit cake would have less appeal. I think word got around how tasty it was though. My first taste of it was with some mature cheddar cheese - something husband found very 'pregnant' and peculiar, but the combination was lovely.
Baker's verdict: I will add this to my repertoire of regular 'occasion' bakes; quick, simple and bloomin' delicious. I expect to share the recipe with a lot of people!
Husband rating: 7/10 - bloody good fruit cake but I don't really like fruit-cake, so...
Dad rating: 11/10
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