Ingredients

2 cups dried fruit

1 cup soft brown sugar

1 cup water

3 oz margarine

2 cups SR flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

How to Make it

Preheat a moderate oven to Gas 5/6 / 350F / 180C.

1. Boil together the fruit, sugar, water and margarine till blended and then allow to cool.
2. Mix in the flour and bicarbonate of soda.

Mixture will appear very wet but this is in order.

Bake in round cake tin for about 1 1/4hrs.

Tags: dried mixed fruit, fruit cake, margarine, soft brown sugar, SR flour
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Ingredients

8 oz SR flour

Pinch salt

4 oz margarine

2 oz caster sugar

4 oz sultanas

1 egg

milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

How to Make Them

Preheat oven to 400F / 200 / 190 fan oven

Line a baking sheet.

1. Sift flour and salt into bowl.
2. Rub in margarine till like breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in sugar and sultanas.
4. Beat egg and vanilla essence and stir in with a little milk to make a stiff mixture.
5. Using a dessertspoon and a teaspoon, divide mixture into 12 heaps on the baking tray and bake for 10 – 15 mins till golden brown.
6. Cool on tray.

Tags: caster sugar, egg, margarine, Rock buns, SR flour, sultanas
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Ingredients

1 cup All Bran

1 cup soft brown sugar

1 cup mixed fruit

1 cup milk

1 cup SR flour

How to Make it

Preheat oven to 325F / 170C

Line a 2 lb loaf tin

1. Mix All Bran, sugar and fruit in a bowl, pour on milk and let stand for about an hour.
2. Add the sifted flour and mix well.
3. Put mixture in tin and bake for about an hour until skewer comes out clean.

Tags: All Bran, All Bran cake, milk, mixed dried fruit, soft brown sugar, SR flour
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Ingredients

4 oz SR flour

4 oz caster sugar

4 oz soft margarine

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

How to Make it

Preheat oven to 350F / 180C

Line 2 7″ sandwich tins.

1. Put all the ingredients in food mixer and mix for 2 mins.
2. Divide mixture between 2 tins and smmoth.
3. Bake for approximately 15 mins until golden brown and shrinking away from side of tin.
4. Turn out immediately onto cooling tray.
5. Whisk double cream until stiff.
6. Spread jam on cake, top with cream and sandwich together

For a special occasion, use fresh strawberries instead of jam, sliced up.

Tags: caster sugar, eggs, margarine, SR flour, Victoria sponge
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Ingredients

1 lb (450g) currants

6 oz (175g) sultanas

6 oz (175g) raisins

2 oz (50g) glace cherries , chopped

2 oz (50g)  mixed peel, chopped

brandy or sherry

8 oz (225g) plain flour

1/2 level teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice

8 oz (225g) unsalted butter

8 oz (225g) soft brown sugar

4 large eggs or 5 small

2 oz (50g) chopped almonds or walnuts

1 level dessertspoon black treacle

grated rind of 1 lemon

grated rind of 1 orange

4 oz (110g)  whole blanched almonds to decorate if not icing.

The dried fruit, peel and cherries can be substituted with mixed luxury dried fruit to simplify. Just make sure the weight totals the same.

How to Make it

             You will need an 8″ round or 7″ or 8″ square tin, lined.

             Start the night before.

 Weigh out the dried fruit into large bowl. Mix in about 3 tablespoons brandy or sherry and stir       thoroughly. Cover and leave overnight, adding more sherry and stirring thoroughly as needed.

Next day

1. Preheat oven to 275F / 140C
2. Sift flour, salt and spices into large bowl.
3. Beat sugar and butter together until light, white and fluffy.
4. Whisk eggs separately and add a tablespoonful at a time to butter mixture.
5. Fold in flour and spices.
6. Fold in everything else.
7. Put mixture in cake tin and spread the surface flat.
8. Decorate with blanched almonds.
9. Cover top of cake with doubled greaseproof paper, with hole the size of 50p piece cut out of centre.
10. Bake on lowest shelf of oven for 4 1/2 – 4 3/4 hours, at least 4 hrs. Check with skewer.
11. Allow cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before trying to remove from tin.

Tags: almonds, butter, Christmas cake, currants, eggs, glace cherries, lemon, mixwd spice, nutmeg, orange. almonds, plain flour, raisins, soft brown sugar, sultanas, treacle
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