Recipe Details

Summary

Name: Easter Fruit Cake

Category: Easter

14oz (400g) mixed dried fruit

6oz (150g) glace cherries (quartered)

4oz (100g) dates, chopped

4oz (100g) butter

6oz (150g) dark brown soft sugar

half a tsp. of bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp. mixed spice

half a pint (285ml milk)

12oz (350g) self raising flour

pinch of salt

2 eggs, well beaten

tbsp. apricot jam

8oz (225g) ready to roll white icing

9oz (250g) white marzipan

a little icing sugar (sifted)

2-3 drops each of pink and green food colorings

Place the fruits, spice, sugar, milk and bicarbonate of soda into a large pan.

Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool to blood-heat. Sift

the flower and salt and stir into mixture with the eggs. Turn into a greased

double-lined 8in (20cm) cake tin. Smooth the surface and hollow out center

slightly. Heat oven to 325F, Gas Mark 3, 170C and bake cake in the center

for 45 minutes then at 300F, Gas Mark 2, 150C for about a further 50

minutes.

To see if the cake is cooked a skewer pushed into the middle should come

out clean. Cool the cake in its tin then transfer to a wire rack and remove

greaseproof paper. Spread top of cake with jam. Using a little icing sifted

icing sugar , lightly knead the icing, then roll out to fit just inside cake top.

Trim round quarter inch (5mm) from the edge to allow for pink marzipan.

Cut marzipan into three pieces. Colour first piece pink and knead thoroughly.

Measure circumference of cake with string then roll pink marzipan by hand to

the same length. Lift on to cake, pressing neatly to the white icing edge then

trim ends and join. Colour second piece green, roll out to the same length.

Roll out third piece likewise and twist them together. Lay twist around cake,

just inside pink roll then trim ends and join.

Tie a ribbon or fix a cake band around cake.