EVERYDAY FRUIT CAKE/HARVEST FRUIT LOAF

It’s been a bit hectic at work and the home cooking front has slipped a bit at the moment.  I seem to be making endless supplies of brown bread as the B+B business gets into full swing and home dinners and baking are on the back burner.  When I do produce something zinging, I forget to take photos! Doh!  No point telling you about the fantastic roast belly of pork dinner we had on Sunday, now is there?  Scoffed before anyone got a camera out!  Other fantastic meals include plain grilled meat, garden salad and some fantastic new potatoes.  Not top end cuisine, but really good summer food.  Herbs picked between the rain showers are really livening up the ordinary, mint on new potatoes is just fantastic and gone is the butter in favor of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice – lip smacking!

So, I was turning on the oven for garlic bread (the new Kerrygold garlic bread is just sooo yummy, buttery, garlicky mmmm) and OH appeared with a hangdog look and suggested I make “something nice for a cup of tea”.  So here is my

EVERYDAY FRUIT CAKE/HARVEST FRUIT LOAF

I made three 1lb loaf tin cakes out of this, but half the recipe will make a 2lb loaf tin cake or a deep 6 or 7 inch cake. 

Pre heat the oven to 170c/325f or gas 3

1lb/450g self raising flour

8oz/225g butter, stork or suitable spread (it has to say suitable for baking on the container)

8oz/225g of sugar, any type or a mixture will do, I used some brown and some granulated

12oz/375g mixed dried fruit

A few glace cherries if you have them

Teaspoon of mixed spice

4 large eggs

6 tablespoons/90ml milk

I prepared the tins by lining them with greaseproof inserts.  Or grease and flour your tins.

Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add your butter or substitute.  Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. 

Stir in the sugar fruits and spices.  Beat the eggs  with the milk and stir into the dry ingredients. 

If you feel the mixture is too stiff, add more milk.  It should be quit soft and drop off a spoon.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 mins for the loaf tin size and for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 for the larger cakes.  It is done when a skewer comes out clean.  Leave in the tin for 10 minutes.  The extra cakes freeze well, but not in our house.  OH did not even wait the ten minutes for it to cool!