This basic recipe is designed to be scaled up to suit your cake pan sizes.

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour.

Ingredients

125 g Dried fruit *

Optional - 15 g Liqueur

50 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

50 g Fat #

50 g Sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon or other spices

1 Egg

Optional ~ 12 g nuts

* Choose dried fruit depending on your & your family's preferences. If you want to keep the cake for a while it is best to use fruit high in sugar (sultanas, dates etc.)

# Fat - I use butter, I have used cocoa butter & am sure an oil would work as well.

Sugar - I normally use brown sugar. Substitute the sugar of your preference.

 

The amount of cake batter needed will be approximately the same as the volume (wxhxl) of the cake pan you are using. The height of the pan needs to be ~7 cm. 

The weight of the cake batter is ~350g (with liqueur & nuts). 

20 cm round tin (need ~2.2 kg cake batter) - 6 x above recipe

10 cm square tin (need ~700g cake batter) - 2 x above recipe

17 cm x 12 cm tin (need ~1.4 kg cake batter) - 4 x above recipe 

Method

Soak the fruit (if using a liqueur)

Mix together the dried fruit & liqueur. Transfer mix to a container with a well fitting lid. Once sealed you will be inverting the container every now & then to ensure an even distribution of liqueur.

Let the fruit soak for at least 1 day. 

Making the cake

Turn oven on to 135 C.

Line the base & sides of an appropriately sized tin with baking paper. 

Put the fruit into a mixing bowl sprinkle it with spice & stir to combine. Optional - add nuts.

Melt the fat (if you need to).

Add eggs to the fat. Use a fork to whisk the mixture until it is uniform.

Add the sugar to the fat/egg mix & stir to combine.

Sprinkle the Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour over the fruit & gently stir the mix to ensure an even coating of flour on the fruit. 

Pour the egg/fat mix over the fruit/flour mix & gently stir to combine. 

Pour the mix into the baking tin. During baking the cake doesn't rise a great deal so the baking tin can be quite full.  

Smooth the top of the cake. 

Put the cake tin(s) in the oven & bake for;

~2 - 2.5 hours if using a 17 cm x 12 cm cake tin

~3 - 3.5 hours if using a 20 cm round cake tin

~1.5 - 2 hours if using a 10 cm square cake tin

~45 mins - 1 hour for smaller pans/muffin tins.

The above times are a guideline only. 

Bring the cake(s) out of the oven & put them on a cooling rack.

Some people let the cakes cool down in the tin before wrapping them up for storage - I don't. If you want to wrap the cake immediately (I do) pull a largish piece of plastic clingwrap (don't cut it off) on to a clean work surface. Using your oven mitts/gloves pick up the cake tin & carefully invert it onto the clingwrap. The cake will fall out (if the tin was lined with baking paper) on to the clingwrap. Peel off any baking paper still adhering to the cake. Wrap the cake up in the clingwrap ensure there is no cake exposed. Remember the cake is still hot. I like to wrap the cake immediately to reduce the likelihood of any thing growing on the cake while it is "maturing" before it is eaten. 

Put the wrapped cake on the wire rack to cool down.

Store the cake somewhere cool & dark for a couple of weeks (if you can wait that long) before eating it. 

Optional - for a really boozy cake. I haven't done this but I know people who do. Get a clean piece of muslin & soak it in brandy. Unwrap the cake from the clingwrap & then wrap it up in the brandy soaked muslin. Wrap this in another piece of clingwrap or put the cake into a plastic bag. Once a week brush a bit more brandy on to the muslin.  

If you are going to ice the cake do it a day or so before serving the cake.  

Enjoy!