Phillippa’s Mum’s Fruit Cake

Courtesty of Phillippa Lambert: ‘A traditional family recipe for a moist cake that never, ever fails!’

4 oz butter or baking margarine
6 oz sugar (can be dark brown, light brown or white)
14 oz dried fruit (can be sultanas, raisins, currants, apricots etc., or a mixture)
8 fl oz water
1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons of mixed spice (or to taste)
Pinch of salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 beaten eggs
4 oz plain flour (can be white or wholemeal)
4 oz self-raising flour (can be white or wholemeal)

Place fat, sugar, dried fruit, water, bicarbonate of soda, spice, salt and lemon rind in your largest saucepan (cake will be mixed into this). Bring to boil and simmer for one minute, then allow to cool (This can be done the night before and left to cool overnight if convenient). Add beaten eggs to cooled mixture and both types of flour. Mix well. This will look much wetter than a normal fruit cake, but this is just right (don’t panic!). Place in a greased and lined 8 inch round tin. Bake in centre of moderate oven (350f or 170c) for a maximum of 75 minutes. I always check after 50 minutes and it is often nearly ready – just test because all ovens are different.

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