Boiled Fruit Cake With Brandy Food

BOILED FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan, and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Combine the water, mixed fruit, sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil gently for about 10 minutes. Sift the flour, baking soda and mixed spice into a large bowl. Pour in the boiled mixture, and stir until well blended. Mix in the eggs. Pour into the greased loaf pan.
• Bake for 90 minutes in the preheated oven, until a skewer or knife inserted into the top comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing.

FABULOUS BOILED FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Place the sugar, water,margarine, bicarbonate of soda and dried fruit in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. As soon as it starts to boil, remove and leave to completely cool.
• Add the well beaten egg, mixed spice, pinch of salt, and the flour; mix well.
• Line a 9-inch cake tin. Cook at approximately 170°C for about an hour to an hour and a quarter.
• To stop it drying out while cooling, it's advisable to drape a clean tea towel over the cake after about half an hour.
• NB - if you are in a hurry for the fruit to cool - place saucepan in some cold water in the sink, iit will cool in under half the time.

BOILED FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. Melt the sugar, butter and 225ml water in a large saucepan. Once melted, add the raisins, sultanas, currants and mixed peel. Bring to a gentle boil, and stirring occasionally, cook until reduced and softened, around 10-15 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool to room temperature.
• Tip the flour, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add the cooled fruit mixture and stir, then add the eggs and mix to combine. Bake for 45-55 mins until dark brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.

BOILED FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Place dried fruit, mixed peel, cherries, water, brandy, sugar and butter in pan.
• Heat gently, bring the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Take of heat and add the bicarb soda, stirring through, mixture will foam up a bit. Leave until cold.
• Sift flours and spices.
• Mix the eggs through the fruit mixture, then combine with dry ingredient.
• Pour into a lined 18cm square cake pan or 18cm round cake pan.
• Wet your hand and flatten top of cake.
• Bake at 150C for 1 hour.
• Cool in pan covered with a tea towel.

NAN'S BOILED FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients for the fruit mix in a large saucepan bring to the boil and allow to cool for about 30 minutes
• Preheat oven to 160C / Gas 3
• Add the cherries and nuts stir through
• then add eggs and mix well, add the flour and fold through the mix.
• Place the mixture in a greased and floured 8' - deep cake tin. Tie some greaseproof paper around the outside of the tin so that the paper comes over the edges of the tin or optionally place over the top about half way through baking. Bake for 2 hours but check after 1.5 hours , check to see if cooked throughly with a skewer. If not bake a little further until the skewer comes out clean from the cake. Allow to cool and either decorate with marzipan and royal icing, or dried apricots and cherries and glaze with melted apricot jam or plain is very nice too.

MAKE & MATURE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put 1kg mixed dried fruit, the zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 150ml brandy or other alcohol, 250g softened butter and 200g light, soft brown sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat.
• Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside - tie with string to secure.
• Add 175g plain flour, 100g ground almonds, ½ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 100g flaked almonds, 4 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour.
• Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.
• Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
• To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in cling film. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it.
• Don't feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.

SIMMER-&-STIR CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Put the butter, sugar, fruit, zests, juice and 100ml/3½fl oz brandy in a large pan. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the butter has melted. Reduce the heat and bubble for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150C/gas 2/ fan 130C and line a 20cm round cake tin. Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan, tossing them until evenly browned, or in the oven for 8-10 minutes - keep an eye on them as they burn easily. When they are cool, chop roughly. Stir the eggs, nuts and ground almonds into the fruit mixture and mix well. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into the pan. Stir in gently, until there are no traces of flour left.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth it down evenly - you will find this is easiest with the back of a metal spoon which has been dipped into boiling water.
• Bake for 45 minutes, then turn down the heat to 140C/gas 1/ fan120C and cook for a further 1-1¼ hours (about a further 1¾ hours if you have a gas oven) until the cake is dark golden in appearance and firm to the touch. Cover the top of the cake with foil if it starts to darken too much. To check the cake is done, insert a fine skewer into the centre - if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
• Make holes all over the warm cake with a fine skewer and spoon the extra 4tbsp brandy over the holes until it has all soaked in. Leave the cake to cool in the tin. When it's cold, remove it from the tin, peel off the lining paper, then wrap first in baking parchment and then in foil. The cake will keep in a cupboard for up to three months or you can freeze it for six months.