This Christmas cake is quick and easy to make and tastes great!
Ingredients
1 cup margarine
1 cup hot water
1 Tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
5 cups mixed dried fruit* (or 1 kg packet)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup sherry or orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
¼ cup whole blanched almonds
Brandy (optional)
*Use a mix of your favourite dried fruits: sultanas, apricots, currants, cranberries mixed peel glacé cherries, ginger, etc
Method
- Place margarine, hot water, vinegar, cinnamon, mixed spice and dried fruit into large saucepan. Stirring regularly, bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat, stir in condensed milk and baking soda. Cool to room temperature.
- Line deep sided 20cm round cake tin with baking paper and preheat oven to 150ºC.
- Add sherry and vanilla to cooled mixture. Add flour, baking powder, chopped nuts and stir.
- Pour into prepared cake tin and decorate top with whole almonds.
- Bake 2 - 2 ½ hrs or until done.
- While still warm, apply brandy if desired. Using a pastry brush, brush the top with brandy or you can prick the top and drizzle with brandy (about 2 tablespoons).
- Cool completely. Remove cake from tin. Wrap in baking paper and keep in a sealed container.
This cake will keep for a few months. You can re-apply brandy every so often if desired.
Recipe inspired by Julie Le Clerc's version