Teta Katarina Stipinovich’s Fruit Cake
Published in Cakes
This is one of the more difficult fruit cakes to make, but the flavour is unsurpassed. It is a recipe that has stood the test of time being well over 100 years old!
Ingredients:
- 500 g butter
- 500 g sugar
- 500 g each sultanas, raisins and currants
- 250 g mixed peel
- 125 g cherries, halved
- 125 g chopped almonds
- 750 g flour
- ½ a nutmeg, grated
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- ½ teasp salt
- 14 eggs
- 1 tumbler liquid
Preparation:
- In a small saucepan melt 1 cup sugar over low heat. Make sure that all the crystals are melted, before bringing it to the boil. Continue to boil until the sugar is dark golden-brown.
- Add ½ cup water (stand clear as the mixture pops and spatters like mad). Melt again, then reduce to 1 cup liquid altogether.
- Combine all fruit and nuts – if liked fruit may be soaked overnight in some of the liquid.
- Sift flour, salt and all the spices.
- Cream butter and sugar well.
- Add eggs one by one, adding a little flour between eggs to stop the mixture curdling. (It doesn’t matter too much if the mixture does curdle a bit).
- Stir in the remaining flour, fruit and liquid. The batter must be of a dropping consistency.
- Bake in a triple-lined heavy cake tin, at a low temperature – exact time will depend on the size of the cake – this much batter makes two fairly large cakes. The batter may also be refrigerated in the baking tin(s)overnight, and baked the following day – allow a little extra baking time to compensate for the fact that the batter is ‘fridge-cold.
- This cake like most fruit cakes keeps very well in its lining papers. To aid the maturing process, prick it all over with a skewer or a very thin knitting needle, and sprinkle on some brandy and/or sherry.
Notes:
- For the liquid use half brandy and half any fruit liqueur for the best results; Old Brown sherry also gives us a good result, especially if mixed with some brandy. However, for the unfortunate teetotallers amongst us use any well-flavoured fruit juice.
Makes one very large cake or two medium – large cakes.
