Adapted from "More Gretta Anna Recipes"
Makes 3 cakes
500g each of currants and sultanas and rasins. Total 1.5 kg.
230g each of mixed peel, glace ginger, chopped dates. Total 690g.
350g glace cherries.
175 mls rum
175 mls brandy
175 mls mixed essences such as vanilla, rum, and almond.
600g plain flour
250 g almonds
500g butter
500g brown sugar. I prefer using dark brown sugar.
4 tablespoons mixed spices including cinnamon,
nutmeg and a maybe a small quantity of cloves
10 eggs
Soak fruit overnight with brandy, rum and essences,
stirring occasionally to allow all the fruit to come in contact with the liquid.
Line 3 x 20cm cake tins with baking paper. For a square tin on baking paper with the 'curl' facing up. Mark the corners with pencil, then cut out squares from the 4 corners of the paper using the pencil marks as a guide. Invert the paper, and place it in the tin, folding the sides up.
Preheat oven to 170.
Place whole almonds in oven for 10-15 mins until
lightly toasted.
Toss fruit mixture with flour.
Cream together butter, sugar and
spices.
Add eggs and beat to incorporate. (mixture will look
curdled)
Add butter/sugar mixture to fruit and mix very
thoroughly
Spoon into prepared cake tins.
Bake 40 min. Rotate tins front to back and top to
bottom. Bake another 30 mins. Change positions again then turn oven off and
leave 20 mins.
Remove from oven and cool in tins.
Pour 1 tablespoon brandy over each cooled cake.
Wrap cake in cling wrap and then tightly in alfoil. Cake
will keep for at least a year.
