Nutty As A Fruitcake

I admit that I was a bit sniffy about Ms Berry's book last week - but I do need to say that whilst I'm not enamoured of her housekeeping tips, I'm still keen on many of her recipes. I made one of her "fruitcake loaves" on Saturday evening. So quick to prepare - and Bob deserved a weekend treat, as I have been away so much lately, what with school and WWDP commitments. MBs recipe is for two small loaves- I just made one, as I was using up some dried fruit. I didn't have any cherries, but chopped up some dried apricots instead. Here's the picture of Mary's loaves [mine was not as attractive!]

Mary says “I prefer making two 450g (1lb) loaf cakes, rather than one large cake cooked in a 900g (2lb) loaf tin, as the smaller cakes are less likely to dry out around the edges. These are perfect for preparing ahead as you can eat one and freeze one for another day.”

SERVES 16

150g (5oz) caster sugar

150g (5oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

200g (7oz) self-raising flour

200g (7oz) glacé cherries, washed and chopped (see Tips)

200g (7oz) sultanas

2 large eggs

1 tbsp milk

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

25g (1oz) flaked almonds

1 You will need two 450g (1lb) loaf tins. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3, then grease the tins with butter and line with baking paper.

2 Measure all the ingredients (see Tips) except the flaked almonds into a bowl and mix until combined. Divide evenly between the two prepared tins and level the tops. Sprinkle with the almonds.

3 Bake in the oven for about 1¼ hours or until golden on top and firm to the touch. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool down completely. Cut into slices to serve.

• Can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
• Freezes well once cooked.
• Tip -Wash the syrup from the cherries, leave to drain in a sieve and then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper – this prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cakes during baking. If the cherries are still sticky when you chop them, it is worth rinsing and drying them again. Measure the ingredients carefully – the cake batter is meant to be quite firm. If it is too loose, all the fruit could sink to the bottom of the cakes.