Grandma's Boiled Fruitcake

Ingredients

• 500 g sultanas
• 250 g raisins
• 250 g currants
• 250 g chopped dates
• 250 g chopped walnuts
• 250 whole glace cherries (I always add more as this is my favourite part of the cake)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 250 g butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• blanched almond, to top (optional)

Directions

1. 1

   Day one.

2. 2

   Mix the first 11 ingredients into a large heavy based pot, place over a medium heat. Stir and bring to the boil (don't leave it alone in case it burns at the base).

3. 3

   Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, you can leave it alone for this part.

4. 4

   Turn the heat off and add the orange juice, stir until well combined and leave overnight to soak. Place a lid over the top to stop moisture evaporating through the night.

5. 5

   Day 2.

6. 6

   In the cold pot with the pre-soaked fruit mixture add the remaining ingredients and stir well, be warned - you will need some serious elbow grease as the mixture will be very thick!

7. 7

   In either 2 large and deep loaf tins or a deep 20x20cm grease and line the sides and base 4 times with brown paper (I use brown paper bags that I have sliced open). Have the paper create a rim that goes up and above the tin. For a square tin you will need around 8 paper bags.

8. 8

   Place the cake mix into the prepared tin/s. Bang the cake tin on the floor about 10 times to get all the air bubbles out.

9. 9

   Using a wet hand, smooth the cake to make it flat. At this stage you can choose to decorate the top with blanched almonds or not.

10. 10

    Place into a cold oven, turn the oven up to 250 degrees F/150 degrees C for 3 1/2 - 4 hours for 1 large cake or 2 1/2 - 3 hours for 2 loaves. Rotate the cakes at least once during cooking - even it you have a fan forced oven. Cake is cooked when a skewer comes out clean.

11. 11

    Cool in the tin, cake is best eaten the day after baking.

12. 12

    Store in an airtight container for upto 5-7 days depending on your humidity.