The Bakinglady 

My lovely Mum didn't bake very often but this delicious fruit cake was a family favourite, handed down from her mum and probably her mum before that. Full of juicy fruit and with a hint of orange and almond it's sure to become an old fashioned favourite x

350g Mixed dried fruit

150g Glacè cherries , halved

50g Mixed peel

50g Dried apricots

175g Soft light Brown sugar

110g Butter

1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

Grated Zest of one large orange

1 teaspoon almond essence

1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda

300ml Milky tea - I leave the tea bag in, through the simmer process and remove before I add the eggs and flour

350g Self-raising flour

2 medium eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 140c for a fan assisted oven 160c for a regular oven , line the bottom and sides o an 8-9” baking tin

Place everything except the eggs and flour into a saucepan, bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes. Leave until almost cool then stir in the flour and eggs then tip the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out cleanly