Christmas Cake (Non Alcoholic - Living & Loving Christening Cake)

Ingredients

• 550ml sultanas (chopped)
• 550ml currants
• 550ml raisins (chopped)
• 250ml cherries (cut in thirds)
• 250ml mixed peel
• 300ml glacé pineapple (chopped)
• 75ml walnuts (chopped)
• 125ml strong black coffee
• 350g butter
• 350g castor sugar
• 6 eggs
• 5ml grated lemon rind
• 875ml flour
• 3ml salt
• 8ml baking powder
• 10ml mixed spice

Instructions

• Set oven at 160° C.
• Line a 22cm round tin, depth 7cm with a double-thickness of foil.
• Mix prepared fruit, nuts & lemon rind together and pour the coffee over.
• Allow this to stand while the cake is being mixed.
• Cream the butter well, add the sugar gradually and beat until creamy.
• Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• Add the fruit and coffee mixture, mixing well.
• Sift flour, salt, baking powder & spice into butter, sugar & fruit mixture.
• Mix thoroughly from bottom of bowl.
• Spoon into cake tin and bake at 160° C for 1 hr
• Then lower the oven heat to 150° C for the next 3¼ hrs. Total baking time about 4¼ hrs.
• Remove from oven and leave in tin until quite cold.
• Remove from tin, but do not remove foil; wrap around cake and place in a closed tin.

Note: This cake improves with keeping, so make it at least 2 months in advance. About 12.5ml brandy can be dribbled over from time to time.

"Living & Loving" is a parenting magazine in South Africa. When I was growing up, its main focus was on cooking, though. It was the one magazine we weren't allowed to cut pictures out of.

I never understood why people don't like fruit cake. Maybe this cake is why.