| Easy 2 step fruit cake top tips - really easy moist fruit cake, before you begin make sure the butter is soft, you can replace the dark sugar for Demerara or white sugar, black treacle for golden syrup, and any dried fruit and combination works well. 
Heat oven to 180c/fan 160c/gas 4. Line a 20cm cake tin. - Beat the first seven ingredients together in a large bowl, with hand whisk, until pale and creamy.
- Now, gently fold in the fruit until combined.
- Bake for 50 mins - 1 hr or until cake is dark golden and a skewer inserted into the middle, comes out clean.
wrap cake up when its cool, keeps well for up to a week - if it lasts that long ! | you will need....... - 200g softened butter
- 200g dark muscovado sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 200g Self raising flour
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eating apples (approx 100g each)
- 300g mixed sultanas, raisins
- handful of roughly chopped walnuts
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| top tips - this is our family favourite recipe for carrot cake, is also great for muffins 
- Heat the oven to 180c/fan gas 4. Line a 20cm cake tin.
- Beat together the margarine and sugar, until pale and creamy.
- Add beaten eggs, bit by bit with a small amount of flour (this helps to stop the mixture splitting)
- Now stir in all the other ingredients, except for the flour and baking powder.
- Finally fold in flour and baking powder with a metal spoon.
topping 1. beat butter and sugar together with vanilla when the cake is cold spread over with topping and decorate with walnuts. | you will need.......... - 175g margarine, (not butter)
- 175g soft brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 100g finely grated carrots
- 50g raisins
- 50g dates chopped
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 25g chopped walnuts
- 175g self raising flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
for the topping...... - 25g butter, room temperature
- few drops of vanilla essence
- 25g icing sugar
- 8 walnut pieces
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| you will need....... - 225g self Raising Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 150g butter, diced
- 15g caster sugar
- 15g ground almonds
- 1-2 tbls cold water
- 350g mincemeat + 2 tbls brandy or rum
To Glaze - Sift the flour and salt into the mixing bowl,
- add butter and rub in with finger tips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in sugar and ground almonds.
- Using a knife, mix enough water to make a stiff crumbly dough.
- Then draw together and turn out.
- wrap in cling and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Pre Heat oven gas m 4, Next.... - Divide pastry into two and roll out very very thinly
- Usin g a 3 inch cutter cut out 12 circles. With 2 1/2 inch cutter cut out 12 circles.
- Use the larger circles to line a 12 deep greased patty tin.
- Then divide the mincemeat equally between them.. Dampen the edges and cover with smaller circles add small slice the top.
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| top tips........ keep everything very cold, put butter in the freezer for 10 mins before you start. chill the mixing bowl with ice cubes. and cold hands! 
5. can be frozen at this point. 6. Brush with egg and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake for 20 mins, (a little longer if from frozen) then leave in the tins for five mins to cool slightly, then carefully remove from tins on to wire rack, they will firm up as they cool. ______________________________________ |
