Fabulous Christmas Cake- So Simple

 This delicious super simple fruit cake has been floating around for a good long while. I remember making it years ago & not being that impressed with it but when a friend shared it recently as a Christmas cake I decided to have another go. And oh my word- it's delicious!

The first one I made we took with us to Apiti on our 44th wedding anniversary.

The second one was an "Oh my goodness we just have to make another one for Christmas" impulse. Since there are no eggs, butter or added sugar this really is a clever treat.

Since I make very few cakes in a year I decided I should fossick through the old (non working) fridge out the back where we store our "dry goods", to see what dried fruits might need using up. 

It's this simple: just put together a kilo of various dried fruits, or use a packet of fruit cake mix, up to you.

Our mix this year included golden raisins, jumbo mixed raisins, Otago dried apricots, crystallized ginger, a few prunes, dried pineapple, peel & red & green cherries plus 1/2 cup of almond slithers or slices.  

Put all the fruit in to a large bowl.

To soak the fruit either make a tea with two fruity tea bags or

Simmer 1/2 cup of dried hawthorn berries & 1/2 cup of rose hips together in 1 litre of water for 20 minutes. 

Strain and pour over the fruit so that's it's just about covered in the liquid.

Add 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cardamom & a dsp of either mixed spice or garam marsala.

Next add a pinch of salt, a dsp vanilla essence and the zest and juice of an orange & leave to sit overnight to infuse and absorb the liquid.

Add 1/2 cup of slithered almonds or chopped walnuts, or both!

Now add 1 cup of ground almonds, 1/2 cup of flour and 2 tsps of baking powder.

Mix altogether and spoon in to a tin of your choice- make it fat or thin or make several small cakes.

Line the tin with baking paper and bake the cake in a moderate oven for around an hour.

It's that simple.

Really it's just like the old boiled sultana cakes that Granny used to make back in the day.

I haven't decorated ours. It's fine just as it is, but of course you could if you'd like to.

We liked the second one best with the ginger & the mostly ground almonds.

Thanks to Cath's Kitchen for the recipe.