I was reading Mrs C’s blog the other day and her youngest son is allergic to eggs and milk. So I had a bit of a look through my favourite cook book and I found a recipe for an eggless fruit cake. I can’t remember if I have made this cake but all the cake recipes in this cookbook that I have made have all been yummy, so I dont see why this one should be any different.
250g (8oz) butter
250g(8oz) brown sugar
250(8oz) currants
250g(8oz) sultanas
3 tablespoons of raisins
2 tablespoons of flaked almonds
2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
450ml (1 and 3/4 cups) ofwarm water
450g( 15oz ) of self raising flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
a pinch of nutmeg.
Put the butter, sugar, fruit,nuts and water in a saucepan and gradually bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Boil gently for 5 minutes. remove from heat and allow to become cold. Sift the flour with salt,spice and nutmeg and stir into the cold fruit mixture. Turn into a greased cake tin and bake in a moderate oven for 2-2 1/2 hours.
I cook a lot and over the years I have learned that recipes dont have to be followed rigidly. If I didn’t have almonds in the pantry, I wouldn’t stress about it I would just chuck in more walnuts or vice versa. Also with the dried fruit I will just use whatever is in the pantry. Whether it is chopped dates instead of currants and red glace cherries thrown in for colour. As long as the dry weight of the fruit is roughly the same it doesn’t really matter what you use.
enjoy…
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I with you on the substitution thing. I make my fruit mince and Christmas cake with a mixture of dried apricots, peaches, pears, mango, craisins, cherries, pineapple and paw-paw as my DH is allergic to dried vine fruits (but not in their natural form or as wine strangely). Find the theory works for most other things too, although it doesn’t help when someone asks for the recipe and I have very little idea of exactly what I put into the finished dish lol!
I substitute stuff in fruit cakes too. Although I once used a packet of crushed mixed nuts in place of what the recipe stated and it didn’t turn out all that well. Probably because crushed nuts are too small, and they’re mostly peanuts.
I have a copy of that “4 ingredients or less” cookbook and the fruit cake in that is quite nice too. Ingredients are 1kg mixed fruit; 2 cups fruit juice or cold organic tea of choice; 1 tbs. sherry or similar; 2 cups organic self-raising flour. (I don’t buy organic, it’s too expensive, I just used what I had). Pre-heat oven to 125*C. Soak fruits in liquids for 2 hours. Stir in flour and mix well. Put into large lined baking tin. Bake in the bottom of your oven until done. 1-2 hours, depending on oven and tin used. Leave to cool, wrap in foil, keep 2-3 days before cutting.
This cake gets a different taste each time if you try different juice or tea flavours.
@ sharon I have to have a good think when I am askedfor the measurements as well, lol. I cook using handfuls, shakes, splooshes and splodges…I always follow the recipe first time round but then I generally adapt it
@ River I used crushed nuts once as well and it totally ruined the flavour of the cake. The nuts were too overpowering. Thanks for the recipe I will give it a try.
Recipes can usually be fiddled with 😉
I’ve got the 4 Ingredients book like River, it’s a beauty, and their TV series is pretty fun, too!
My fruit cake recipe is –
1 cup bran soaked in 1 cup of fruit juice/milk/non-dairy substitute, then 1 cup of s/r flour mixed in with 1 cup of mixed dried fruit and 1 cup (or less to taste) of sugar, in a loaf tin in moderate oven for 30-45 mins.
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Thanks, Jayne!
Kim:
What is a currant?
What is a sultana (I’m thinking a female Sultan LOL)
And which “mixed spices” are in “mixed spice?”
One thing Woodjie loves is breads and cakes. It’s hard to get him to eat fruits and this might be a good sneaky way to do it. :]
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@ Mrs C, a currant is a small dried berry, black in colour, (think of blackcurrants that juice is made from), a sultana is a dried small grape, light brown in colour, both of these are (should be)available in packets in the dried fruit section of your supermarket. If you buy mixed dried fruit in packets, separate them out and have a look, you’ll be able to distinguish quite easily the currants, sultanas and raisins. (Substitute raisins if you can’t find them). Mixed spice is (should be) available in packets or jars in the spice section, usually right next to the dried fruits.
looks yum..
know any recipes that are gluten and wheat free?
Stumbling. Hi Mum.