Country Fruit Cake

Servings: 10 – 12                       Time: 1 hr 40 min + cooling time                     Difficulty: Easy

IMGP3518 Wed 3rd - Country Fruit Cake for Limelight

A lovely traditional, unpretentious cake that’s moist, firm and very filling

Credit: This recipe is from Christine France’s excellent book “1 Mix, 100 Cakes”, with only a few minor changes and additions

Ingredients

  • oil or butter for greasing the pan
  • 175g/6 oz plain white flour
  • 70g/2.5 oz plain wholemeal flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 175g/6 oz unsalted butter, softened
  • 175g/6 oz light muscovado sugar
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 200g/7oz mixed dried fruit
  • 1 tbsp demerara sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C/Gas 3 (Fan oven 140)
  2. Grease and line a 20cm/8″ round deep cake tin, ideally with a loose bottom.
  3. Sift and weigh the flours, baking powder and nutmeg into a large bowl, adding any leftover bran. Add in the butter, muscovado sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla extract. (*see Tip) Beat well, until the mixture is smooth, then stir in the milk and dried fruit.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the surface, then bake for about 80 – 90 minutes.
  5. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

    6. *Tip – run the spoon or measure through the eggs to make sure all the vanilla is released and not wasted.