A magnificent cake using the boiling method is
this one It really is dead easy. I don't know where I got the original recipe from but this one that was in the Daily Mail is pretty well the same.
I make it pretty well as per the recipe there (using mixed peel instead of the fancy peel they suggest) every spring but also find that replacing the mz balls with a thin fillet of mz 2/3 of the way up also works brilliantly as a December non-yeast alternative to stollen. Have also been known to add a tablespoonful of ground almonds (OK, a small handful then) and stir in a tablespoonful of cheapo brandy just before smacking it into the loaf tin (sometimes tins). I do not ever bother faffing with the topping, it goes out just as it is.
It is a doddle to make and disappears at an encouraging rate! Scrummy - Mrs HGB reckons it is even nice enough to justify her allowing me to play around in her kitchen so it must be good!
edit: The Mail version claims that wrapped in foil it will last for up to a week. Dream on, it struggles to last more than two days.
