Recipe forBen’sRich Fruit Cake

Ben’sRichFruitCake

This deliciousfruitcakeisa crowd-pleaserall year round, becausethecakeisn’t toodark. Youcan changethe mixoffruits, butstick to theoverall totaland don’tdropbelow 500gofvinefruits. Fora festivetwist,usedatesandcranberries, decorate asshown, or withmarzipanandicing.Butit’sperfect plain, too.

Serves at least20

474kcal 83gcarbs per slice

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

900gmixedvinefruits 100gdriedapricots,chopped 75gmixedpeel 400gglacécherries,whole 6tbsporangeliqueur Juice and zest of alarge clementine (ororange) 250gbutter, softened (ordairy-freespread) 250gsoftbrownsugar 5eggs 250gplainflour (orGFflour) 3tspmixedspice 1tbsptreacle 100galmonds,chopped

Decoration(asshown):

Marmalade/apricotjam 6-8pecans 30mixedglacécherries 30blanchedalmonds,halved

METHOD

1. Putthefruit,apricots,mixedpeel andcherriesin abowland addthe liqueur, orangejuiceandzest.Soak foratleast12 hours, or up toone week,stirringoccasionally.When readytobake, preheattheovento 130ºC.Grease anddoublelinea 23cmx7.5cmdeepcaketin. Wrap theoutside ofthetin, to prevent thesides from overbaking(seetip).

2. In averylargebowl, cream together thebutter andsugar. Add theeggs oneatatime,beating well in between.Foldinthe flourand mixedspice,then thetreacle and almonds. Finally, fold in thesoaked fruit,drained,ifanyliquidremains.

3. Spoonintothe tin,andlevel off.Bakeinthe oven forabout 3 hours,until askewercomes out clean.Ifthetopisbecoming too dark,coverloosely with foil. Leave to coolinthe tin,then wrapin greaseproofandfoiluntil needed (up to 3months).

4. To decorate asshown, heat 3 tablespoonsofjamuntil bubbling, then sieve. Paint onto thecake, then addthe fruitand nutsinrings,startingatthecentre. Finally,lightlybrush more jam over thealmondsandpecans.Thecake will keep forweeksin atin –serve insmall wedges or slices,as alittle goes alongway!

ThePennoyerCentre’s volunteer BakeForcemakedeliciouscakes for saleinthe café, whichwon theEDP NorfolkFood &Drink“BestBaking” Award.ThecaféisopenMon-Sat from 10am to 3pm.

Tip:

We linethe outsidewiththose brownpaper strips used to package onlinedeliveries –perfect!

www.pennoyers.org.uk 01379676660

ThePennoyerCentre, Station Road,PulhamStMary, Norfolk,IP214QT