DIY Recipes: How to make Fruit cake

Making fruit cake is apologetically easy.

Ingredients

400 g mixed dried fruit see note

125 g butter at room temperature see note

3 large eggs

60 ml milk, (4 tablespoons)

1 rounded tablespoon of jam (any flavour)

125 g soft brown sugar dark or light - see note

250 g self-raising flour see note

2 teaspoons mixed spice

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/ 150°C fan/ gas mark 3/ 325°F.

Either grease the tin with butter or just pop the liner in and weigh the fruit into a bowl for later.

Put all the ingredients except the fruit into a large bowl (or your mixer/food processor). Beat together well, but don't overdo it.

Scrape the mixture down and mix again. Add the dried fruit and stir in by hand.

Carefully put the mixture in the tin/liner and use a knife to make a slight depression in the top of the mixture. This means you will have less of a domed top.

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, and test with a toothpick. When it comes out clean the cake is done. If not, return to the oven for 10 minutes and repeat. You may need up to 1 hour 45mins.

Take the cake out of the oven and leave it in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.

Serve.