Grenada Light Fruit Cake
- 225g (8oz) butter
- 225g (8oz) caster sugar
- 50g (2oz) ground almonds
- 350g (12oz) self-raising flour
- 1 tbs Schwartz Mace, Ground
- 2 tsp Schwartz Ginger Ground
- 4 medium eggs
- 225g (8oz) dried apricots
- 225g (8oz) glacé cherries
- 450g (1lb) tin pineapple pieces
- Topping:
- 50g (2oz) glacé cherries
- 4 tbs apricot jam
- 2 tbs water
STEP 1Pre-heat the oven to 150°C, 300°F, Gas Mark 2.
STEP 2Grease and line an 20.5m (8") loose-bottomed cake tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper.
STEP 3Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, stir in ground almonds. Sieve flour with the Mace and Ginger. Beat the eggs one at a time into the creamed mixture, adding a spoonful of the flour with each. Add remaining flour and mix well.
STEP 4Finely chop the apricots, quarter the cherries and drain the pineapple pieces reserving the juice. Finely chop the pineapple pieces.
STEP 5Carefully stir prepared fruit into the cake mixture until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture into the cake tin. Hollow the centre slightly and cook in centre of preheated oven for 2½-3 hours until cake is firm to touch. (Cover top of cake tin with foil if cake browns too quickly during cooking.)
STEP 6For the topping arrange cherries in centre of the cake. To make a glaze, combine the apricot jam and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Strain glaze through a sieve to remove any large fruit pieces.
STEP 7Brush the glaze over the cherries, top and sides of the cake.
STEP 8This cake will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container or frozen, without the cherry topping and glaze for up to 4 months.
STEP 9The cake may also be marzipanned and iced in the traditional Christmas way.