Ginger Beer Boiled Fruitcake

This fruit cake has a long, slow baking time, but you can skip the lengthy fruit soaking process by boiling the dried fruit in ginger beer, which means the cake can be ready to eat the same day you start.

2½ lbs mixed dried fruit (1 kg)
1½ cups ginger beer (375 mL)
1 cup caster sugar
butter (250 g)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups self-raising flour

Place dried fruit, ginger beer, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and stir until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Preheat an oven to 275°F (140°C/120°C fan, Gas Mark 1). Grease a 20 cm cake tin and line the base and sides with 2 layers of baking paper.

Stir through eggs and fold through flour. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 2½ hours until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil if the top is browning too quickly.

Makes 10 servings.