English fruitcake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 150 g sultanas
• 150 g currants
• 75 g candied lemon peel
• 75 g candied orange peel
• 100 g cherry(s), cherries
• 100 g apricot(s), dried
• 4 cl brandy
• 1 lemon(s), zest, grated
• 450 g Flour 405
• 300 g butter
• 300 g sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• Butter for spreading
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

The night before, mix all the dried fruit with the grated lemon zest and the brandy, cover, and let it steep. On the day of preparation, fold 100g of flour into the fruit. Cream the butter, 250g sugar, and a pinch of salt together until light and fluffy, then dissolve the sugar. Separate the eggs and gradually beat in the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites with the remaining 50g sugar until stiff peaks form, then fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the mixture. Mix the remaining flour with the baking powder, fold into the foam, and then fold in the fruit and the rest of the stiff peaks. Pour the resulting batter into a greased, breadcrumb-lined 35cm loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven on the lowest shelf at 175°C (150°C fan, gas mark 2) for 90-100 minutes. If the cake is starting to get too dark, cover it with a newspaper. After baking, carefully turn the cake out, let it cool slightly, and while still warm, brush it all over with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. This will keep the fruit cake fresh for a very long time.