[Agatha]

Guilt-Free Fruitcake

300ml/half pint water
9oz/250g chopped dates
1lb/450g dried fruit - use plenty of apricots to make it nice & tangy, I use about half and the rest is currants, sultanas etc
2oz/50g chopped walnuts
2oz/50g ground almonds
3oz/90g plain flour
3oz/90g wholewheat flour
3tsp baking powder
1tsp mixed spice
3 fl oz/80ml orange juice

Heat dates & water to boiling and leave to cool.  Mix together all other ingredients except orange juice. Add date mixture and orange juice and mix well.  Put cake mixture into a lined non-stick pan or two x 1lb loaf tins (This is what the recipe says, but I always use a loaf tin as I think the cake is too dry in a flat tin).  Smooth top and bake for 40-50minutes at 170 C.  Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out.

NB:  I only make half this quantity unless I am catering for a coffee morning or similar as because it is quite moist it doesn't keep for more than a few days.  (Not tried freezing it, but can't see any reason why that wouldn't work, so you could always make the full amount and try freezing half)

Lining the tin with greaseproof paper is really important as you'll never get the cake out of the tin otherwise, however well you grease it!

[Mrs Bee]

Thanks for this Agatha. I will give it a go and test it on BIL.
Does it not have any eggs in it?

[Agatha]

Sorry for the delay - only just been able to get computer access.  It has no eggs - very dense texture, but I like eating it and I'm not diabetic!  The really important thing is to make sure you have plenty of apricots as otherwise I think it would be too sweet.