Light Fruit Cake

Recipe sourced: Faeez fuzzymazing.blogspot.com - adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:

250g mixed fruits (candied mixed peel, candied red or green cherries & dark raisins)

20g plain flour

50g ground almond - almond meal/flour

170g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

120g unsalted butter, room temperature

80g granulated white sugar - i used 70g 

1/2 tsp salt (omit is using salted butter)

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 tsp pure almond extract - i omitted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Zest of one small lemon (outer skin) - i used orange

60ml milk - i used orange juice

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180C with oven rack in the center of the oven.  Line and grease a 9 x 5 x 3" loaf pan.

In a bowl, combine the mixed fruits and 20g plain flour and mix well until all the fruits are coated with flour.  Set aside.

In a different bowl, whisk together the rest of flour, ground almond and baking powder.  Set aside.

In a bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat in the extracts and lemon zest.

Beat in half the flour mixture just until incorporated.  Then beat in the milk (orange juice) and then the remaining flour mixture.  Mix just until incorporated.  Do not over mix.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and, if desired, decorate the top of the cake with sliced or flaked almond. 

Bake for about 50-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

(If you find the cake is browning too much, cover with a piece of aluminium foil).

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

The cake does benefit from being stored a day or two before serving, as this softens the outer crust and allows the flavour to mingle.