Fruit Cake – Pumpkin Aunt Em’s Easy As!

This is another of Aunt Em’s Easy Fruit Cake Recipes. 

A recipe where you just cannot go wrong, if there was one thing that Aunt Em was good at God rest her soul, it was cooking a variety of delicious, highly nutritious cakes. 

Hmmm, they were good, and really was it such a surprise seeing she was my Gran’s sister, and Oh my Stars those girls could cook!

20 serves* (1/2 quantity if needed or freeze slices see below for instructions)

2½ cups cooked, well drained, mashed pumpkin (nothing added)

2 cups of dark brown sugar (not heaped cups)

4 cups wholemeal self raising flour – triple sifted

4 large eggs – well beaten

250 grams butter (soft at room temperature)

4 tablespoons treacle or golden syrup

500 grams dried mixed fruit (soaked overnight in 2 cups of black tea)

½ cup glace cherries chopped (additional to what is in mixed fruit)

½ teaspoon bi-carb soda (added and sifted with flour)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (added and sifted with flour)

Pre-heat oven to moderate

Drain Dried Mixed Fruit Mixture (there will probably be nothing as it would have soaked into the fruit, making it plump and succulent, however, it is better to make sure there is no excess liquid)

Prepare a 12inch (30cm) cake pan by greasing pan and lining it with greaseproof paper allowing 4 finger width of paper above top of pan.

Then with a hand held electric mixer in a large bowl, add pumpkin, sugar and butter on high speed until a lovely creamy texture (around 3-4 minutes) – oh my stars imagine doing this by hand!

Then add treacle or syrup and 4 tablespoons of the flour, beat again until creamy, and then add ½ of eggs and 1 cup of the flour beat again. 

Now put down the mixer and with a wooden spoon, fold in fruit and flour alternately making sure it folds in well. (Use light movements to keep as much air in cake as possible)

Now decant mixture into middle of the cake pan, and gently smooth out to the sides. 

Place cake in the middle of the oven and bake until cooked – around 2 to 2½ hours maybe longer depending on your oven.  Use a skewer to check cake – it should come out clean.

Once cooked take out of oven and let cool in tin for 30 minutes before decanting onto wire rack.  Peel off greaseproof paper carefully and allow to fully cool before cutting.

Notes: 

This cake keeps well.  It also freezes exceptionally well.  Just cut your slices and individually wrap them well with cling wrap, making sure there are no bits left unwrapped.

If you wish you can use Spelt Flour (I have experimented with this flour and it produces a nice cake)

If using ½ measures to make a smaller cake, you need to decant into a smaller cake tin (still line the tin though please) and cooking time will be less.

Serve with a cup of your favourite loose leaf tea or filtered coffee for morning or afternoon tea. 

Also, I just want to share where I get my coasters from, everyone comments on the range of coasters I have and use when I entertain.  I have so many sets, but each set matches certain china I have, plus I have some "Fun" coasters to use with china mugs. 

Also ... ... One of dogs does "Agility Training" and I have meetings in my home, that is when I use the coasters with gorgeous "Doggies" on!