soapdragon Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 On the 'old' forum, under 'good things' (I think) there was a reciept for a basic boiled fruit cake which went back for absolutley eons! I used this a number of times and wanted to use this for the basis of my Christmas cake this year. I had thought that I had transcribed it but seem to have lost my notes and am now in a panic! Does anyone have this still or can anyone tell me where to find this if it is still on the Forum but maybe now under a different topic/name? Please help! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Here you go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Brilliant! Thanks, CT! How did you find that!? As it was under another heading, now defunct, I thought it might have gone forever! The Christmas cake is saved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 I used the “search” box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Make sure you click “all content” when searching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 We’d be lost in cyber space without you, Cat tails. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Great recipe - used it many times - doesnt touch the sides with my work colleagues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 Have made one 'basic' receipt for FIL's cake and will do another at the weekend with cherries, treacle etc to marzipan and ice for Christmas. And, CT, I have put the receipt in a safe place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 2 hours ago, soapdragon said: And, CT, I have put the receipt in a safe place Hahaha! Smart Soapy! Hope the cakes turn out nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Has anyone added alcohol to this cake? Would like to add brandy but not sure at what point I should add it...boil it in it ????! Or add it after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 7, 2020 Author Share Posted December 7, 2020 Oh YES! You can use brandy to soak the fruit rather than water - continue with the recipe in exactly the same way. I have just made this for our Christmas cake (2 weeks ago) and used Earl Grey tea to soak fruit BUT have been 'feeding' it brandy each week. Did same last year and it was lovely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Columbian Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 I’ve been making this for over 50 years and find that recipients prefer it to Christmas Cake. Boiled fruit cake is stickier and a different texture to a rich fruit cake. This is my late mother’s recipe: 3 cups of mixed dried fruit 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 6oz margarine or butter (or a mix of both) 2 beaten eggs, large 2 cups self-raising flour 1 tablespoon ground almonds 1 dessertspoon marmalade 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice. Good pinch of salt (about 1/3 teaspoon but adjust to taste) Put fruit, water, sugar and fat into a saucepan and heat gently until simmering; simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and then stir in beaten eggs and flour, spices, marmalade and ground almonds. I prefer to use Demerara sugar but granulated or soft brown is fine. Any fruits and nuts can be added to the mix, e.g. pecan nuts, dried apricots, dried dates, Brazil nuts, glacé cherries, etc. Makes one 8” round tin. Bake in a slow oven 140degs. I don’t have a timing but an 8” tin may well take 2hrs. It is a matter of judgement and ones oven. I’ve cooked this so often that it’s second nature so forget the ins and outs. The big thing about cooking any fruit cake or cake which is in the oven for longer than an hour is to protect the cake from scorching on the outside. Forget all those things about bits of brown paper - double line the cake tin (I use cake tin liners), wrap corrugated cardboard around the tin (mine have been cooked so often that they stay in shape); place a sheet or two of corrugated cardboard under the tin on a baking tray and, once the cake starts to colour, cover with a sheet of corrugated cardboard. Take care not to set it alight in the oven; I have never done so but assume that it can happen. If once cooked you think that the cake needs a little more colour then uncover it to allow it to brown a little more. You will find that the cake is an even colour all the way through and does not have those awful burnt currants that I so hate. (As my mother used to judge cookery classes we were always offered Christmas cake during The Season when visiting; the number of cups of tea we had to down in order to swallow the dark, dry outside of the cake with burnt currants - yuk.). Sometimes the cake will dip slightly in the middle but this does not affect the taste and can be hidden under piles of fruit and nuts coated in apricot jam. I do this for cakes which are given as presents and they look lovely. A small amount of the cake mixture can be microwaved to make an instant pudding. Happy baking. I only work in Imperial as my scales use lbs and ounces and my tins are in inches so you may need to convert the weights, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Thank you so very much Soapdragon and Columbian. I make this lovely recipe a lot! Most weeks! It’s a staple in our house but I’ve never tried it with alcohol but will try this year. Columbian , your recipe looks lovely too, so I’ll give it a go. Thank you so much. 🍰 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 SD you'll all be sozzled. Thanks for new recipe Columbian. Love family recipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 I also have used this recipe for last few years. Add port instead of water, treacle, mixed chopped nuts and cherries. It keeps very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 I have literally just iced mine! Made it at the end of November and have been drip feeding brandy before marzipanning on Sunday. Not sure we'll be able to face it until Boxing Day (or later!) though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 Not a fruit cake, but I did make my first ever lemon curd today, to go on an Oreo crumb base. Horribly good! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 LOVE lemon curd. Also find it very comforting to make and I have my late great aunts hand written recipe which says in capital letter at the bottom ‘DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL’ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Hahahaha, mine said to bring it to a boil and it turned out fine! But might be blasphemy as it also said to use whole eggs and not just the yolk... 😅 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Update! Absolutely delicious with boiling the fruit in brandy. Everyone loved it...will definitely repeat next year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Columbian Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 Definitely don’t allow lemon curd, or any curd, to boil - you will have lemon scrambled eggs. I remember judging with my mother and there was actually a scrambled egg/lemon jar submitted to the class; we didn’t try it. My/my mother’s recipe uses whole eggs but I know that some recipes use egg yolks only. I love lemon curd but it needs a lot of butter and I have to make this as my husband is lactose intolerant and I cannot buy lactose free butter. Mmm, I’m just thinking about lemon curd; yum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 Well boiled it and didn’t have scrambled eggs! Couldn’t you get plant based butter? A friend of mine is vegan and only bakes with butter from Flowerfarm. my recipe didn’t take loads of butter. Only 50 g on 200 g of sugar and 4 eggs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 On 12/23/2020 at 7:20 AM, Alis girls said: SD you'll all be sozzled. Thanks for new recipe Columbian. Love family recipes. Having cut it yesterday we are all still sober - just about!!!! Nice and moist though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted August 22, 2021 Author Share Posted August 22, 2021 I've just made this in a flat tray tin rather than the traditional round tin; it cooked really quickly half an hour as opposed to an hour and a half!) and will be much easier to cut and fit into snack boxes. There's nowt like a bit of lateral thinking (ironic, from an Aspie 🤣) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...