This recipe is best with
Recipe Ingredient
- (A):
- 375g raisins
- 400g mixed fruits
- 110g crystallised melon strips, chopped
- 60g dried apricots, chopped
- 40g red Glazed cherries, quartered
- 40g green Glazed cherries, quartered
- 30g honey
- 125ml brandy
- 260g butter
- 125g soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tbsp vanilla essence
- 50g semolina
- 5 eggs
- 125g almonds, chopped coarsely
- Sift:
- 200g plain flour
- 50g self-raising flour
- 1½ tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 - 5 tbsp brandy
Instructions
- Combine ingredients (A), honey and brandy in a mixing bowl. Mix well to blend then cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Leave aside for two to three days for the fruits to macerate. Use a wooden spoon to mix the fruits everyday.
- Line the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin with two layers of non-stick parchment paper, leaving about 4cm above the sides of the tin.
- Cream butter and sugar until just creamy. Add semolina and continue to cream until mixture turns light. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in molasses and essence to combine.
- Add macerated fruits to the creamed mixture, alternating it with the flour. Mix the ingredients using your hand. (It is not only easier this way but ensures thorough mixing as well.) Stir in chopped almonds and mix.
- Turn out mixture into prepared tin, spreading well into the four corners. Hold the tin firmly and drop it from a height of about 15cm on to a firm tabletop. (This is to settle the mixture into the tin properly and also to break up any air bubbles.)
- Level the surface with a clean plastic spatula then place the cake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 2½ - 2¾ hours. Half-way through baking, cover the cake with a piece of aluminum foil for an hour then remove the foil and continue baking until it is cooked through.
- After cake is baked, brush with the extra brandy and leave it to set for 30 minutes. Cover the cake tightly with a piece of foil. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, covered with foil. Remove the cake from the tin and discard the nonstick parchment paper. Rewrap the cake with clean greaseproof paper followed by foil outside.
