Years ago I was working in Burtons and on a quite day I was talking to a fellow employee, a lovely lady called Betty about baking, and I said “I never make cakes, I can’t,” and she said, “I’ll give you a recipe that you can make that’s foolproof,” and she did and it is, so here it is.
Makes 2 small loaf cakes.
requires:
1 large heavy based saucepan
2 med (7 1/2 “) loaf pans
greaseproof paper and butter for greasing plus a little flour to dust, OR 2 paper loaf tin liners.
Ingredients:
4 oz butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup of milk
small Sherry glass of sherry or whiskey
2 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruit
a small pack of cherries
2 cups of SR flour (sifted) or a little more, see method
1 med egg (lightly beaten)
Turn oven to 160°c (fan) or 170° c (conventional) or gas equivalent, to warm, and in the saucepan on the hob, on a very low heat, melt the butter, when melted add the sugar, add dried fruit and cherries, add sherry or whiskey and milk. Stirring with a wooden spoon, bring slowly to the boil, as soon as bubbles appear, switch the heat off, and transfer to a heatproof mat to cool for up to 10 mins. Meanwhile butter, flour and base line the 2 loaf pans, or use paper tin liners.
After the mixture has cooled a little add 2 cups of SR flour and mix in, add the beaten egg and mix in, you should have a sticky batter, if you were a bit heavy with the sherry or the egg was a little on the large size you wil need a little more flour, up to another 1/2 cup, the mixture should be wet but not runny, turn into lined or buttered and floured loaf tins and cook on the middle shelf for 55 mins, check with a skewer to see if cooked, if mixture was a little wet it may require another 5-10 mins. When cooked, remove from oven and leave to cool in tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto wire cooling rack for a couple of hours to cool, do not invert cakes, you want to keep the top upright. When cool transfer to airtight storage box or cake tin. They can be wrapped in cling film and frozen and will keep for many months.
You cannot cut the cake the same day as it will just crumble, it will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Substitute 1 cup of flour for SR wholemeal flower for a healthier but slightly drier cake.
Betty’s fruit cake
Years ago I was working in Burtons and on a quite day I was talking to a fellow employee, a lovely lady called Betty about baking, and I said “I never make cakes, I can’t,” and she said, “I’ll give you a recipe that you can make that’s foolproof,” and she did and it is, so here it is.
Makes 2 small loaf cakes.
requires:
1 large heavy based saucepan
2 med (7 1/2 “) loaf pans
greaseproof paper and butter for greasing plus a little flour to dust, OR 2 paper loaf tin liners.
Ingredients:
4 oz butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup of milk
small Sherry glass of sherry or whiskey
2 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruit
a small pack of cherries
2 cups of SR flour (sifted) or a little more, see method
1 med egg (lightly beaten)
Turn oven to 160°c (fan) or 170° c (conventional) or gas equivalent, to warm, and in the saucepan on the hob, on a very low heat, melt the butter, when melted add the sugar, add dried fruit and cherries, add sherry or whiskey and milk. Stirring with a wooden spoon, bring slowly to the boil, as soon as bubbles appear, switch the heat off, and transfer to a heatproof mat to cool for up to 10 mins. Meanwhile butter, flour and base line the 2 loaf pans, or use paper tin liners.
After the mixture has cooled a little add 2 cups of SR flour and mix in, add the beaten egg and mix in, you should have a sticky batter, if you were a bit heavy with the sherry or the egg was a little on the large size you wil need a little more flour, up to another 1/2 cup, the mixture should be wet but not runny, turn into lined or buttered and floured loaf tins and cook on the middle shelf for 55 mins, check with a skewer to see if cooked, if mixture was a little wet it may require another 5-10 mins. When cooked, remove from oven and leave to cool in tins for 5 mins, then turn out onto wire cooling rack for a couple of hours to cool, do not invert cakes, you want to keep the top upright. When cool transfer to airtight storage box or cake tin. They can be wrapped in cling film and frozen and will keep for many months.
You cannot cut the cake the same day as it will just crumble, it will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Substitute 1 cup of flour for SR wholemeal flower for a healthier but slightly drier cake.