Yummy cake...

This is a recipe for the most delicious fruit cake.

I make it often and as it makes two loaves

it lasts a while!!

The recipe calls for dates and walnuts, neither of which I had the first time I made it.

I used golden raisins and pecans.

But I have found you can use anything your heart desires, as long as you stick to the amounts. I use only 1c of the sugar, the fruit makes it sweet enough for me. And I don't use the glaze.

 Make sense?

so...the recipe

3 c AP flour

1 ts baking soda

1 c butter

1-2 c sugar

4 eggs

1/2 c orange juice

1 c coconut

8oz dates (or fruit of your choice)

1 c chopped nuts

GLAZE

1 c icing sugar

1/2 c orange juice

Method

Preheat oven to 300 degs

Grease and lightly flour two 9x5 loaf pans.

In a large bowl beat the butter and slowly add the sugar.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

Sift flour and baking soda.

Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the 1/2 orange juice.

Mix nuts, fruit and coconut with a tiny bit of flour and fold gently into batter.

Pour batter into the two greased pans and bake for 1-1 1/2 hours or until golden brown.

If you are going to glaze it....

mix the other 1/2 c orange juice with the scant 1 c icing sugar

and pour over the cakes, in the pans while still hot.

Cool in pans on a rack.

(this is one I made with the glaze on it, 'coz the hubs likes sweet things)

Now, the last time I made it, I used one bag of mixed fruit (the one with apples and pears and plums and cherries) and chopped it up smallish and just threw it in. I used chopped hazlenuts and organic coconut and I had a fresh orange so I zested some peel and threw that in too!!

I have pretty much thrown in whatever I had on hand and it has always turned out. I don't like very sweet cakes and this one is just sweet enough.

So I hope you make it and enjoy it. It makes up fast, (although it does take 1-1 1/2 hrs to cook), but if you make it early in the day...you can have a piece with your afternoon cuppa, or as an evening snack!

Have a good day.....the sun is shining brightly here and the snow is sparkling......