Method
This recipe is from a handwritten recipe book in the Food Museum’s collection, formerly belonging to Vera and Ena Longe but originally started by their grandmother.
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan /180°C conventional.
2. Grease and flour a cake tin, lining the base and sides with baking parchment if it is not non-stick.
3. Cream the butter (or margarine) and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Sieve together the flour, baking powder (if using), salt, and spices.
5. Lightly whisk the eggs.
6. Gradually add the flour mixture, eggs, and treacle to the creamed butter and sugar, alternating between dry and wet ingredients to prevent curdling. Mix well.
7. Add enough milk to make a thick, sloppy batter.
8. Dust the cherries, candied peel, and crystallised ginger with a little flour, then gently fold into the mixture, ensuring the fruit is evenly distributed.
9. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 140°C fan / 160°C conventional and bake for a further 1–1½ hours, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
11. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely
Ingredients
170 g (6 oz) butter or margarine, or a mix of both
85 g (3 oz) brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp black treacle
255 g (9 oz) self-raising flour or plain flour plus 2 heaped tsp baking powder
Extra flour, for dusting the fruit
1 large pinch of salt (or a small pinch if using salted butter)
1 level tsp each mixed spice, ground ginger, ground cinnamon
2–3 tbsp milk
225 g (½ lb) crystallised cherries
225 g (½ lb) chopped candied peel
115 g (¼ lb) crystallised ginger, roughly chopped
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