I've just finished baking another favourite for the man of the house. He loves this boiled fruit cake. I mix it in the saucepan that the fruit is cooked in which saves a bit of dishwashing. It's ideal for vegans as it has no eggs or dairy (man of house has an uncomfortable relationship with dairy products) Although the recipe states butter, I substitute olive oil. I could use margarine but I'm suspicious of all those creepy numbers on the side of the pack - numbers equals chemicals and we're already deluged with enough of those I feel. Its so easy to make that it is an old standby when an invitation says "bring a plate". If you'd like to give it a try here is the recipe: Prepare a 9" (23 cms) cake tin. (I lightly grease and line it with baking paper) Set oven for 180 deg celcius or 350 F.

Mix in a 2 litre saucepan:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 and a 1/4 cups water
Third of a cup of butter or olive oil. Oil is oilier than butter so slightly less won't hurt.
2 cups of mixed dried fruits.
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

Boil for three minutes and leave to cool a little while you mix 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 teaspoons of water and set it aside until you need it.
Sift together 1 cup of self raising flour and 1 cup of plain flour. (I use half wholemeal, half white and add the bran back to the seived flour.)

While the fruit is still in the saucepan, stir the salt & bi-carb mixture into the cooked mixture. (it will fluff up) Then working quickly blend in the sifted flours.
Good old cooks will probably tell you that this is naughty as the flour starts to cook the moment it hits the hot fruit, but I find that if you blend it all together quickly and get it into the tin immediately it saves about 20 minutes of cooking time.
Otherwise, be good and wait until the fruit is cool before blending in the flour.

Bake for about 35 minutes if the mixture is hot or 55 minutes if it is cold.

Test the cake with a skewer to see if it is done. You can enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee or heat a slice and pour custard over. Either way it's jolly nice.

All this talk has made me fancy a slice for myself. I'm off to see if there is any left. Bye for now until next time.