This is one of my favourite store cupboard bakes, so called because I always have the ingredients in the cupboard and can bake it whenever the mood takes me. It can be cooked in an assortment of tins – I usually bake it in a loaf tin so that it can be sliced easily and, if I don’t want the temptation of cake lying around, I store it in the freezer so that I can defrost slices of it as and when required.
Ingredients:
- 350ml of strong tea
- 115g mixed fruit
- 86g margarine
- 86g soft brown sugar
- 280g self raising flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
Method
- Preheat oven 180C/160Fan/Gas mark 4
- Grease and flour tin
- Boil the tea, fat, sugar and fruit together in a saucepan for 2-3 minutes
- Allow to cool slightly
- Meanwhile sieve the flour, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl
- Add the cooled liquid to the flour mixture and beat thoroughly
- Fill your prepared tin
- Bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes and then turn down the oven by 20 degrees and bake for a further 30 minutes – a skewer inserted should come out cleanly; if not, bake for a further 5 minutes or until cooked through
- Leave to cool – this cake keeps well wrapped in foil.
Pauline Mardell
