Boiled fruit cake

Trying out a recipe from the Beeb, for boiled fruit cake. The first childminder that looked after Beatrice was not a very talkative woman. Her place was worryingly clean and I ended up finding someone else, she wasn't very cosy. She had an air freshener stuck onto a framed picture of a forest scene. However, on the plus side, she made a fantastic boiled fruit loaf. When I asked her how she made it, she looked at me like I was a nutter. It was not a relationship with mutual understanding. I got on very well with the cake though. This experiment is in tribute to the first mouthful of that cake.

I am using up dried fruit from the cupboard. Currants, a less favoured dried fruit, named after Corinth, as in Raisins de Corinthe, glace cherries, candied peel, sultanas as well as prunes and unsulphured apricots. I was hoping to find some dates at the back of the cupboard, but no.

Here is my edited version of the recipe

round and flat version

Ingredients

BOILED FRUIT MIXTURE

70g/4 oz Brown Sugar

125g/8 oz margarine or butter

500g/1lb mixed fruit

2 tsp mixed spice

½ pint (a mugful) Milk

FOR THE CAKE MIXTURE

70g/4 oz Glace Cherries, cut in half

2 eggs, beaten

50g/2 oz chopped walnuts

375g/12 oz Self Raising Flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 160C / Gas 3

Grease two loaf tins, and line the base

1.    Put all the ingredients in the boiled fruit list into a large saucepan, bring to the boil on a low heat, then allow the mixture to cool for about 30 minutes

2.    Add the cherries and nuts stir through

3.    Add the beaten eggs, and mix well

4.    Stir the cinnamon and bicarb into the flour, and fold the flour mixture in thoroughly

5.    Place the mixture in a greased and lined loaf tins and bake for around an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean

6.      Allow to cool and leave plain, or glaze with melted apricot jam

This cake tastes better if you leave it for a couple of days, before eating it.

cake meets trifle, birthday treat

Everyone should have a birthday cake on their birthday. It is a small offering, it is a chance to take a god-like pause. Birthdays come around more often than weddings, or at least weddings where you are the bridegroom or bride. In Schultz's Peanuts, Linus always took a day off on his birthday, I used to read the cartoon strip and think that it looked a bit boring. Now I think it is a small gesture of indulgence, and one that we should all try, some time.

As someone who bakes cakes, I greedily grab the chance to make that moment happen. Last week I made chocolate nemesis for my friend, Alex. Today I am making a concoction I call cake-meets-trifle for my pal Margo. It's a cross between a Victoria Sandwich and a trifle, but I've junked the custard. Nothing else about this cake is reduced. It is not a cake to eat without a plate and cutlery, unless you like licking your fingers and wearing a bib.

Recipe follows with pix.

Valentine's menu - tart

Valentine's Day is a lot of pressure, if you let it be. If you are alone you can feel like a failure, if you are with a partner the range of anxiety you can feel is vast. Food is a good sidestep. As my expanded waistline can tell you. I like straightforward food, and I shall be making a heart-shaped version of my apple tart.

You don't have to use apples, tinned apricots are also terrific. Or plums - see other pic.

It is a labour of love, and that is why it is good for Valentine's Day. Serve hot or cold, and enjoy yourself.

PS
there's no need to roll this pastry - you can just press it into the tin, and use whatever alcohol you like, or none!

Simple fruit tart

Tart made with Wilma's Bramley apples

The pastry of this tart is buttery, crunchy, like shortbread and flavoured by an unexpected addition – alcohol. The alcohol cooks off, so eating it won’t get you drunk, other than on pleasure. I usually use tightly packed plums or apricots as the filling - but here I've used Bramley apples.

Betty’s original recipe used Calvados, which lent a hint of apple, but any strong alcohol will do. I’ve tried using rum, brandy and vodka, although I prefer something with flavour. 

Since I've run out of Calvados I used rum in this tart

This rich pastry seems to resist getting a really soggy base from the abundant fruit juices. Cook it shortly before eating if you like the base of the tart crisp, or prepare it ahead and enjoy the slightly soaked-in flavour. Of course, it’s delicious either way.

Recipe
for two 8"/20cm tarts


For the pastry:
500g plain flour
300g unsalted butter
100g castor sugar
2 egg yolks
1 coffee cup of strong alcohol


For the filling - per tart
two tins of apricots
or
1kg/2lb+ of fresh fruit, stoned or peeled and cored 
 I usually use tightly packed plums or apricots as the filling - but you can use apples or pears


Method

• cream butter and sugar together
• add egg yolk, beat in until combined
• slowly add alcohol, beating all the time - if it happens to start to separate add a spoonful of flour
• add in sifted flour a little at a time
• if the mixture becomes slightly dry add water to combine into a ball

• allow mixture to sit for at least an hour - best in a plastic bag in the fridge

• roll out half the pastry and line well buttered tart tin - if it cracks patch with scraps
• crimp the edge with your fingers and trim of surplus - I like a nice fat edge

• pack fruit in tightly - fresh fruit is great, but you can also use tinned apricots
• sprinkle liberally with demerera sugar or failing that granulated sugar 

• cook for 45m at gas mark 4/350 F/180 C

• eat hot or cold 
• great with slightly sweetened creme fraiche, cream or ice cream

Tips
Don't stress too much about how the fruit is arranged, just make sure there is plenty of it, packed tight.


Try using the pastry recipe to make wonderful shortbread.

Either

Roll it into a fat sausage, wrap and chill for an hour, then cut slices with a very sharp knife.
lay out on lined baking sheet and prick with fork
cook for 15-20m gas mark 4/350 F/180 C

Or              

Just bundle it up, wrap it and chill, pinching off pieces of the mixture and flatten into discs with a fork.