WINE CAKE

My friend Margaret, who lives in Crowlas, gave me a lovely old Parish recipe book from Gwinear and this is the first of many recipes that I will bake for you, from it’s pages. I have baked and eaten some scrummy fruit cakes in my time but this is the best!!!! It definitely is a cake for special occasions - or even afternoon tea!

Grease and line the bottom of a 8” cake tin [spring form is easiest] You can line the sides too, if you wish, but I didn’t.

You need to start off a week before you make it! In a medium sized glass bowl place:

9 oz sultanas [I used a mix of sultanas and raisins to use up packets]

7 oz currants

4 oz halved glacé cherries

3 oz chopped mixed peel

Add about 5 fl oz sherry - any sherry!! I used up some med dry amontillado and when there was still a drop left in the bottle I threw that in as well!! A bird does not fly on one wing! Mix well. Cover securely with cling film and shake a couple of times a day. Two days passed and I noticed most of the sherry had been absorbed - so I opened the cling film [the smell was wonderful!] and poured in another slug of sherry!!!! 

A week later…..

Cream together:

6 oz soft light brown sugar [or dark, but the cake will be darker than in the photo]

6 oz room temp butter

until light and fluffy - you know the routine. Add:

4 eggs, one at a time. Drain the fruit - keep the liquid though!!!

Then fold in:

4 oz SR flour

4 oz Plain flour

pinch salt

½ teaspoon mixed spice

1 oz ground almonds

Fruit

Tip into your prepared tin and bake in a preheated fan oven 150 for 1 hour. Cover with foil, turn the oven down to 130 and bake for a further 1½ hours. Cool, prick well pouring over the rest of the soaking sherry! I turned it upside down and poured it over the bottom. Mmmmmmm.

If you wish you can marzipan and ice it - or just munch away. It is best left a day or two before eating. Not the cheapest of cakes to make but well worth it - trust me! The smell and taste, the texture is just so wonderful. Do it!