Golden fruit cake with pineapple

The Jean Bowring Cookbook 1970 Sydney

Cakes: Golden Fruit Cake

1 tblsp butter; ¼ cup golden syrup; ¼ cup brandy; 220g glacé pineapple; 110g glacé apricots; 220g sultanas; 110g mixed peel; 110g glacé cherries; 220g butter; 1 1/3 cup (firmly packed) light brown sugar; grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon; 4 eggs; 110g ground almonds; 2 ½ cups plain flour; ½ level tspn baking powder; a good pinch of salt; 1 level tspn cinnamon; 1 level tspn ginger

Combine the tablespoon of butter with the golden syrup and brandy in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the syrup softened. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Cool.

Cut the fruit into uniform-sized pieces. Line a 20 cm cake tin with two thicknesses of brown and two of white paper.

Beat the 220 g butter and the brown sugar to a soft cream and add the orange and lemon rind. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the ground almonds. Add half the fruit and half the brandy syrup to the mixture.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger and add half to the mixture. Add the remaining fruit and syrup, then the reminder of the flour. Blend thoroughly.

Place in the prepared tin and bake in a slow oven, 135°C for 3 to 3 ½ hours.