Christmas Cake

Family Favourites with currants, sultanas, seeded raisins, c1950s Melbourne. Published by The Australian Dried Fruits Association as a service to housewives

 

White Christmas Fruit Cake

1 cup seeded raisins; 1 cup sultanas; 225g candied pineapple; 225g candied cherries; 225g blanched almonds; 100g citron peel (I used mixed peel); 2 oranges; 1 cup butter; 1 ½ cups sugar; 6 eggs; 225g desiccated coconut; 1 tsp rose-water; 3 cups self raising flour

Shred pineapple, cherries and blanched almonds and cut citron peel into thin slices.

Mix fruits, cover them with 3 tblsp orange juice and allow them to stand overnight to soften.

Wash butter to free from salt, then cream it with sugar.

Add well beaten yolks of eggs, then the coconut to which was added 30 minutes previously the rosewater.

Beat in 11/2 cup orange juice alternately with sifted flour.

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Add fruits and nuts and then the raisins chopped and dredged lightly with flour.

Pour into a well greased tin and bake slowly 3 to 4 hours.