Fruit cake

Thanks to Florence, she is a very talented lady for sharing this wonderful recipe. I used brown sugar instead muscovado sugar

Ingredients:

(8" round cake pan)225g butter (at room temperature)

130g light muscovado sugar

4 egg yolks (at room temperature)

1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt

15g orange zest

15g lemon zest

4 tbsp orange juice

300g plain flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

3/4 - 1 tsp all spice

300g - 400g mixed dried fruits (soaked in 3 - 4 tbsp of your favorite liquer)

5 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

50g caster sugar

Method:

1. Soak dried fruits in liquer for at least 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven at 170C. Line the bottom of baking pan with 2 layers of baking paper. Either line the sides or grease the sides.

3. Sieve flour, baking powder and spice and leave aside for use later. Remove 50g of this flour mixture and mix it into the dried fruits.

4. Cream butter till soft, add in the salt and muscovado sugar and beat till mixture is pale and fluffy.

5. Beat in the yolk one at a time. Add in the orange and lemon zest.

6. Mix in the orange juice alternating with sieved flour mixture till well combined.

7. Beat egg whites till bubbly, add in the cream of tartar and beat till it is white in color. Add in sugar by thirds and beat till stiff peaks formed.

8. Fold whites into the butter mixture gently.

9. Add in dried fruits and mix gently.

10. Pour batter into cake pan and smooth out the surface with a wet spatula, at the same time make a very shallow hallow in the middle of the batter for even rising.

11. Reduce oven temperature to 160C and bake for 90 - 100 minutes or till cooked and golden brown.

12. Drizzle cooked cake with a tablespoon of liquer and leave it to cool in its baking pan.