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Bradworthy News - November 2000

Kookri korna, by Margaret Coles

The clocks have gone back and Christmas is fast approaching. For those who still like to make their own festive cake, now is the time to get baking if you haven't already done so. This year I am repeating the traditional rich fruit cake recipe that I use. The advantage of being so rich in fruit is that there is no room left for the fruit to sink into!

Ten simple steps to the perfect cake

  1. Line the tin
  2. Prepare fruit; clean sultanas, currants and raisins if necessary. Halve cherries. Mix with fruit, peel, nuts etc.
  3. Sift flour and spices together.
  4. Cream together butter, sugar and treacle until light and fluffy.
  5. Beat in eggs, one at a time, with a little of the flour to prevent curdling.
  6. Fold in remaining flour, fruit and lemon rind.
  7. Turn mixture into prepared tin, smooth surface, hollow centre slightly.
  8. Place a double thickness of brown paper around outside of tin (to prevent outer edge of cake from burning before centre is cooked) and secure with string.
  9. Cook just below the centre of a very slow oven (Mark1/140°C/275°F) for the time given in the chart.
  10. To test if the cake is done: Insert a fine skewer into the centre, it should come out clean if the cake is cooked. Also the cake should have ceased to 'hum'.
  11. Cool in the tin to avoid the cake cracking, then turn out, wrap and store.
  12. Prick the surface with the fine skewer and feed at regular intervals with Brandy, rum, whisky or sherry.

Your quantity guide

Cake tin size
(sorry not metric) 		6 inch square
7 inch round 		7 inch square
8 inch round 		8 inch square
9 inch round 		10 inch square
11 inch round
Currants 10 oz 15 oz 1lb 4oz 1lb 14oz
Sultanas 8 oz 12oz 1lb 1lb 8oz
Raisins 6oz 8 oz 12oz 1lb 2oz
Blanched chopped almonds 4oz 6oz 8 oz 12oz
Ground almonds 1 oz 2oz 2oz 3oz
Plain flour 6oz 8 oz 12oz 1lb 2oz
Ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon ½ teaspoon 1 teaspoon
Ground mace ¼ teaspoon ¼ teaspoon ½ teaspoon 1 teaspoon
Butter 6oz 8 oz 12oz 1lb 2oz
Soft brown sugar 6oz 8 oz 12oz 1lb 2oz
Black treacle 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 2 tbsp 3 tbsp
Eggs, large 3 4 6 9
Glace cherries 4oz 6oz 8 oz 12oz
Mixed peel 4oz 6oz 8 oz 12oz
Lemon rind ½ lemon 1 lemon 1 lemon 1½ lemons
Brandy, rum, sherry etc. 1 tbsp 1½ tbsp 2 tbsp 1 bottle
Cooking time-test after 3 hours 3½ hours 3¾ hours 5 hours


You can further vary your cake by adding an equal amount of ground mixed spice to the cinnamon and mace, you can add a large spoonful of marmalade and you could add an extra ounce of almonds. A week before you need it the cake will need covering with marzipan. A coating of apricot jam on the surface of the cake will ensure that the marzipan sticks to the cake. The marzipan will need a couple of days to dry, then you can ice and decorate your cake.

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