Low Fat Fruit Cake (No eggs,sugar or butter)

It is back to school for me as the long haul of the winter term looms. It is dark in the mornings and dark when you arrive home. The biggest obstacle is getting your navy blue and black items of clothing out of the wardrobe. Many a time I have gone to get in the car and found I have black trousers but the stockings and top are navy. I make one of these cakes every fortnight and my husband (he is a teacher at another school) and I take a piece to have for our recess break each school day. The cake does not contain any butter or added sugar. It last very well out of the refrigerator for the fortnight. I have been making it for about 10 years.

Fruit Cake Before Going in the Oven

Ingredients

700 g (1.5 lbs) mixed dried fruit ( I also make this up to 700 g by adding a fruit and nut breakfast mix to the mixed dried fruit)

2 cups tea or coffee (made with 2 tsps coffee powder)

2 cups wholemeal self raising flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1.       Soak the mixed fruit with the tea/coffee overnight or for 7-8 hours.

2.       Sift the spices with the flour and add to the fruit mixture.

3.       Cook in a 20cm round cake tin that has been lightly sprayed with cooking   

          spray. I use a silicone ring tin

4.      Preheat oven to 175⁰C (350F) . Cook cake at this temperature for about 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 150⁰C (300F) oven for approximately 30 minutes and then down to 100⁰ C  (210F) for about an hour  or until a skewer inserted into the  centre comes out clean.

5.       Before removing the cake from the tin, wrap in foil and invert on a cake cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before removing from the tin. This helps to keep the cake moist.