Jill is well known throughout the area for the quality of her fruit cakes and her talent as a cake decorator. Jill who is a farmer’s wife in Williams was one of the first tutors to conduct workshops for local members.
The recipe below is the one which Jill always uses for her cakes.
Easy Fruit Cake
Ingredients
250 g butter
250 g dark brown sugar
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla, almond and lemon essence
½ teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and ground cloves
½ cup milk
375 g plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 kg mixed fruit (saltines, raisins, currents, cherries, peel)
½ cup chopped blanched almonds or walnuts (optional)
1 large cup marsala all’uovo
Method
Soak fruit and nuts in marsala for about 2 to 3 days or longer if you forget. Stir every day.
Put fruit, essences, spices and bicarbonate of soda in large bowl with sugar and mix well. Put milk and butter in saucepan and heat until butter has melted, add to fruit mixture and mix will again. Add beaten eggs and then sifted flour. Stir well.
Place in cake tin well lined with brown paper. Smooth surface with a wet hand. Drop cake tin onto bench several times so that mixture settles into corners (most important if you want a perfect cake for cake decorating). Bake at 150° to 160° C for approximately 3 hours. Makes one 20 cm square cake. Sprinkle with brandy while hot and wrap in large bowl for several hours or, overnight, until cool.
★★★★★
I nearly always triple this mixture and have cakes on hand as they are much nicer if left at least 3 weeks before cutting or decorating. These cakes have successfully been kept for 12 months. To keep cakes, wrap in clean brown paper and seal in plastic wrap. Never use alfoil !
These cakes, I have used for wedding cakes and Christmas cakes.