FRUIT IN CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease a 20cm square cake tin with the margarine, then line the bottom with greaseproof paper and dust the sides with gluten-free flour.
  2. In a bowl, beat the margarine and sugar for around 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
  3. Crack in the eggs, finely grate and add the zest from 2 lemons and 1 orange, then mix to combine.
  4. Sieve the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum into the bowl, then fold through. Stir in the juice from 1 lemon and ½ an orange until you have a nice, smooth mixture.
  5. Pour the mixture into the cake tin, smooth out to the edges, then place on the middle shelf of the hot oven for 35 minutes, or until golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  6. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, before turning the cake out onto a wire cooling rack, then leave to cool completely while you make the icing.
  7. Combine the icing sugar with the zest and juice from ½ a lemon and ¼ of an orange. Once the cake has cooled, drizzle the icing on top, grate over a little lemon and orange zest, then serve.

Steps:

• Put the currants, sultanas, raisins, glacé cherries, apricots and mixed peel in a large bowl. Stir in the brandy, cover the bowl and leave in a cool place overnight.
• Lightly grease a 23cm/9in deep round cake tin. Cut a strip of baking parchment to fit twice around the sides of the tin, fold the bottom edge of the strip up by about 2.5cm/1in, creasing it firmly, then open out the fold and cut slanting lines into this narrow strip at intervals. Put a circle of baking parchment into the base of the tin, lightly grease the outer edge and then fit the prepared strip of parchment with the snipped edge in the base of the tin to line the sides of the tin. Place a second circle of baking parchment in to cover the cut part of the paper.
• Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1.
• Put the flour, nutmeg, mixed spice, butter, sugar, eggs, almonds, treacle and citrus zest in a large bowl and beat well. Fold in the soaked fruits.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon. Decorate the top with the whole blanched almonds and glacé cherries, pushing them lightly into the top of the cake mixture. Cover the top of the cake loosely with a double layer of greaseproof paper. Bake for 4¼–4¾ hours, or until the cake feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin.
• When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and 'feed' with a little splash of brandy. Once the cake is completely cold, leave the lining paper on the cake, wrap in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months, feeding at intervals with more brandy.