Title: Rich Fruit Cake
Categories: Irish Cake Fruit
Yield: 10 Inch cake

2	c	Flour; all-purpose
2	ts	Ground ginger
1/4	ts	Fresh nutmeg; grated
2	ts	Mixed spice (apple pie spice
2	ts	Ground cinnamon
1 1/2	c	Raisins
1 1/2	c	Sultanas (golden raisins)
2 2/3	c	Currants
2/3	c	Candied peel; chopped mixed
2/3	c	Glace cherries; chopped
4		Pieces of preserved ginger;
		. chopped
1 1/2	c	Almonds; toasted & sliced
2 1/2		Sticks butter
2	c	Dark brown sugar
		Grated rind and juice from
		. 2 lemons & 1 orange
5		Eggs; beaten
2/3	c	Whiskey, brandy, sherry, or
		. rum

Grease a deep 10 inch/25cm cake tin and line with baking parchment. Sift the flour and spices into a large bowl and add the fruit and nuts, mixing in well with your hands to coat all the fruit with flour. In another bowl, beat the butter until softened, then gradually beat in the sugar. Beat in the grated lemon and orange rinds. Add the fruit and nut mixture alternately with the eggs, beating all together well with a wooden spoon. Lastly, stir in the brandy, whisky, sherry or rum.

Put the mixture into the prepared cake tin, and make a hollow in the centre of the cake with the back of the wooden spoon. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350øF / 180øC @ gas 4) for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300øF / 150øC / gas 2 and bake for a further 2 hours. The cake is cooked when the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin, and when a sharp knife or skewer stuck in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely in the tin before turning it out and wrapping it well in a double thickness of foil. "Lady MacDonald's Scotland: The Best of Scottish Food & Drink" by Claire MacDonald The Bullfinch Press, Little, Brown & Co., London ISBN = 0-8212-1809-3

Scanned and formatted for you by The WEE Scot -- paul macGregor

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