CAKE IN THE HOUSE
This is an extraordinarily moist and intensely fruity cake – and one that will keep for months, its flavours developing nicely as it matures
NANA’S FRUIT CAKE
1kg mixed dried fruit 50g sultanas or golden raisins 50g currants 12 pitted prunes, chopped 1 x 400g tin sweetened condensed milk 225g butter, plus extra for greasing 1 tbsp black treacle 1 tbsp golden syrup Dash of vanilla extract Dash of brandy 50g flaked almonds 1 slightly heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp ground nutmeg 300g plain flour 1 slightly heaped tsp baking powder
1 Preheat oven to 140C/Fan 120C/375F. Grease and line a 23cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
2 Tip all the dried fruit and prunes into a large pan. Add the condensed milk, butter, treacle, golden syrup, vanilla extract and brandy. Stir in 350ml water, bring to a simmer and bubble gently for 5 mins.
3 Leave the mixture to cool slightly before stirring in the almonds, bicarbonate of soda mixed spice and nutmeg. Finally, add the flour and baking powder, a little at a time, stirring well between each addition.
4 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 2½ hours. Turn off the oven and leave the cake in there to settle – I usually leave it overnight. The following day, turn the cake out, wrap it in baking parchment and store in an airtight container, where it will keep for many months. (The oldest one I’ve ever eaten was 18 months old and it tasted excellent.)
Morning! Where and when are you waking up?
We live in a Victorian cottage in the village of Willoughby Waterleys. It’s drafty, ramshackle and in need of some TLC, but we love it. Our son, who’s three, usually wakes us at around 5.45am, at which point I’ll head downstairs and pop the kettle on. It’s usually a strong coffee or two at the breakfast table, before leaving for the office at 6.30am – a 10-minute drive away. Although I start work early, I don’t like to leave until we’ve had a family breakfast, usually a fairly unexotic bowl of cereal, cup of coffee and a glass of juice.
Tell us about what you do for work each day.
I run The Willoughby Book Club, which has subscribers in more than 30 countries. I’m in the office by 6.45am and I tend to start by checking emails – over another coffee – and managing new orders. The rest of the day includes the likes of selecting books for our subscriber base, liaising with our stockists and suppliers, and dealing with a landslide of other administrative tasks.
Do you have a favourite cup?
The miniature mug my son made me at a local pottery painting venue. It’s pretty abstract.
Time for a break. What do you fancy?
A large cup of Earl Grey with just a splash of milk. I like to pick up a book and as many biscuits as I can hold, and move away from my desk.
Yum, biscuits. Anything else you fancy?
My wife and business partner Chloe makes a mean spiced apple cake. And I also love chocolate cake – the darker and richer, the better. A healthy slice with a pot of Earl Grey and I’m a very happy man.
So who’s your favourite tea-time companion?
It’s Chloe. We usually get an hour to ourselves in the evening once our son is in bed. We tend to use that time to reflect on the day, and plan for another early start at the hands of the boy…