Old-fashioned Boiled Fruit Cake

Fruit cake is traditionally a favourite despite cake fanciers always experimenting with variations of cake recipes. It certainly still comes into its own at Christmas time. This is my Mum's recipe for Boiled Fruit cake, and as it has been a nostalgic week with Easter and Anzac Day so close together I decided to bake it, along with the compulsory Anzac Biscuits of course. Boiled Fruit cake is such a great standby for surprise visitors, or just to have when you are feeling needy with a cup of tea or coffee, and keeps fresh for a few weeks.

 This is an economical version compared to some, originating from the 60's or even earlier I suspect. The Christmas Fruit Cake recipe is much richer and needs lots more time, ingredients and work than this one.

Ingredients:

115g (4oz) butter or margarine
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 pkt Mixed Fruit (375 g.)
2 teasp. Bicarbonate Soda (Carb. Soda)
1 teasp. Mixed Spice
1 teasp. ground Ginger, or finely chopped crystallised ginger (if  liked)
1/2 teasp. ground Nutmeg (preferably grated fresh)

Place above ingredients in saucepan and boil for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn't burn. Allow to cool.

Add ingredients listed below to cooled mixture in saucepan:

1 cup S.R. Flour - Sifted
1 cup Plain Flour - Sifted
1 teasp. Vanilla
1 large beaten egg
2 tablespoons Bundy rum (opt.) or 1 tablespoon marmalade

When saucepan mixture is quite cold, add above ingredients and mix in well.

Pour into well greased loaf tin or round cake tin lined with 2 layers of brown paper to prevent  burning. Decorate the surface in a pattern with whole blanched almonds if desired.

Cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours at 160 deg. or until a skewer comes out clean.

When still hot, pour 1 tablespoon of rum over surface of cake.

It is preferable to keep the cake for a week before cutting for the flavours to really develop. I need to make two cakes to ensure that at least one cake doesn't get cut and eaten!