Boiled Fruit Cake

I made this for myself not the small girl, I don't like to eat food I cannot share. I wasn't sure toddlers would even eat fruit cake, but it seems they do and then request a second serve. This isn't too rich, though it is a real fruit cake. Keeps well and travels well. Next time I might see what happens with a little wholemeal flour in it so I don't feel so guilty with us both eating so much of it.

No bad photographs for a little while, our poor old camera has gone bung.


3 cups self raising flour
1 1/2 cups dried apricots, chopped
1 cup raisins, chopped
1/2 cup dates, chopped
3/4 cup glacé cherries, halved
1 1/2 cups sultanas
1/2 cup currants
1 cup mixed peel
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup apple or orange juice
1/4 cup apricot jam
6 tablespoons cream

Preheat the oven to 160C. Line and grease a deep 20cm square cake tin.

Combine the fruit, butter, sugar and water in saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the juice and jam, cover, cool to room temperature. Stir the double cream, then the sifted flour into the fruit mixture. Mix well. Spread into the prepared tin. Bake for about 2 1/2 hours. Cover with foil, cool in the tin.