Scottish fruitcake recipe?
 

Does anyone recognize this fruitcake recipe? I got it from someone who says
it was handed down from her Scottish side of the family. It's a dark, moist
fruitcake, far from any fruitcake I've known that are always too dry and
suffer from other ailments. This recipe is a 10 on a scale where all other
fruitcake recipes are a 2 or 3 at best. I'm trying to determine a more
specific Scottish affiliation and locale for this recipe.

Scottish (?) Fruitcake



1 1/4 cup water

1/3 cup shortening or oil

1 cup sugar

1/2 tblsp nutmeg

2 tblsp cinnamon

1/2 tblsp cloves

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 tsp hot water

Brandy or Rum as desired

Double or triple above ingredients as needed.



Add candied fruit, nuts and raisons as desired.



Cook raisons, water, shortening, sugar and spices together 3 minutes.

Add dry ingredients, baking soda and candied fruit and nuts.

Pour into loaf pans, and bake at 325-350 for 50 minutes.

"Scot" > wrote in message
nk.net...
> Does anyone recognize this fruitcake recipe? I got it from someone who
> says
> it was handed down from her Scottish side of the family. It's a dark,
> moist
> fruitcake, far from any fruitcake I've known that are always too dry and
> suffer from other ailments. This recipe is a 10 on a scale where all
> other
> fruitcake recipes are a 2 or 3 at best. I'm trying to determine a more
> specific Scottish affiliation and locale for this recipe.
>
> Scottish (?) Fruitcake
>
>
>
> 1 1/4 cup water
>
> 1/3 cup shortening or oil
>
> 1 cup sugar
>
> 1/2 tblsp nutmeg
>
> 2 tblsp cinnamon
>
> 1/2 tblsp cloves
>
> 2 cups flour
>
> 1 tsp baking powder
>
> 1 tsp salt
>
> 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 tsp hot water
>
> Brandy or Rum as desired
>
> Double or triple above ingredients as needed.
>
>
>
> Add candied fruit, nuts and raisons as desired.
>
>
>
> Cook raisons, water, shortening, sugar and spices together 3 minutes.
>
> Add dry ingredients, baking soda and candied fruit and nuts.
>
> Pour into loaf pans, and bake at 325-350 for 50 minutes.
>
>
This is commonly known as a "Boiled Fruit Cake" in the UK and there are
several regional versions. Do not treat it like a conventional fruit cake.
It must not be kept to mature like xmas cakes. I gave one to a friend who
kept it for 2 months, wrapped of course. She iced it and tried to serve it
to guests on xmas day but it would have blunted a chainsaw;-(

Be very careful when you add the dry ingredients. The soda can cause it to
boil over!
Graham

Thank you for the reply. I've wrapped these particular cakes in aluminum
foil and frozen them for more than a month, then found it fairly easy to cut
slices within a minute or two.

Do you know of any particular region(s) in Scotland where this type of cake
is or was commonly found? The Scots in the woman's family were from the
Lanark and Argyle regions.



"graham" > wrote in message
news:%2qwd.530891$%k.77196@pd7tw2no...
>
> "Scot" > wrote in message
> nk.net...
> > Does anyone recognize this fruitcake recipe? I got it from someone who
> > says
> > it was handed down from her Scottish side of the family. It's a dark,
> > moist
> > fruitcake, far from any fruitcake I've known that are always too dry and
> > suffer from other ailments. This recipe is a 10 on a scale where all
> > other
> > fruitcake recipes are a 2 or 3 at best. I'm trying to determine a more
> > specific Scottish affiliation and locale for this recipe.
> >
> > Scottish (?) Fruitcake
> >
> >
> >
> > 1 1/4 cup water
> >
> > 1/3 cup shortening or oil
> >
> > 1 cup sugar
> >
> > 1/2 tblsp nutmeg
> >
> > 2 tblsp cinnamon
> >
> > 1/2 tblsp cloves
> >
> > 2 cups flour
> >
> > 1 tsp baking powder
> >
> > 1 tsp salt
> >
> > 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 tsp hot water
> >
> > Brandy or Rum as desired
> >
> > Double or triple above ingredients as needed.
> >
> >
> >
> > Add candied fruit, nuts and raisons as desired.
> >
> >
> >
> > Cook raisons, water, shortening, sugar and spices together 3 minutes.
> >
> > Add dry ingredients, baking soda and candied fruit and nuts.
> >
> > Pour into loaf pans, and bake at 325-350 for 50 minutes.
> >
> >
> This is commonly known as a "Boiled Fruit Cake" in the UK and there are
> several regional versions. Do not treat it like a conventional fruit
cake.
> It must not be kept to mature like xmas cakes. I gave one to a friend who
> kept it for 2 months, wrapped of course. She iced it and tried to serve
it
> to guests on xmas day but it would have blunted a chainsaw;-(
>
> Be very careful when you add the dry ingredients. The soda can cause it
to
> boil over!
> Graham
>
>

Thank you for the reply. I've wrapped these particular cakes in aluminum
foil and frozen them for more than a month, then found it fairly easy to cut
slices within a minute or two.

Do you know of any particular region(s) in Scotland where this type of cake
is or was commonly found? The Scots in the woman's family were from the
Lanark and Argyle regions.



"graham" > wrote in message
news:%2qwd.530891$%k.77196@pd7tw2no...
>
> "Scot" > wrote in message
> nk.net...
> > Does anyone recognize this fruitcake recipe? I got it from someone who
> > says
> > it was handed down from her Scottish side of the family. It's a dark,
> > moist
> > fruitcake, far from any fruitcake I've known that are always too dry and
> > suffer from other ailments. This recipe is a 10 on a scale where all
> > other
> > fruitcake recipes are a 2 or 3 at best. I'm trying to determine a more
> > specific Scottish affiliation and locale for this recipe.
> >
> > Scottish (?) Fruitcake
> >
> >
> >
> > 1 1/4 cup water
> >
> > 1/3 cup shortening or oil
> >
> > 1 cup sugar
> >
> > 1/2 tblsp nutmeg
> >
> > 2 tblsp cinnamon
> >
> > 1/2 tblsp cloves
> >
> > 2 cups flour
> >
> > 1 tsp baking powder
> >
> > 1 tsp salt
> >
> > 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 tsp hot water
> >
> > Brandy or Rum as desired
> >
> > Double or triple above ingredients as needed.
> >
> >
> >
> > Add candied fruit, nuts and raisons as desired.
> >
> >
> >
> > Cook raisons, water, shortening, sugar and spices together 3 minutes.
> >
> > Add dry ingredients, baking soda and candied fruit and nuts.
> >
> > Pour into loaf pans, and bake at 325-350 for 50 minutes.
> >
> >
> This is commonly known as a "Boiled Fruit Cake" in the UK and there are
> several regional versions. Do not treat it like a conventional fruit
cake.
> It must not be kept to mature like xmas cakes. I gave one to a friend who
> kept it for 2 months, wrapped of course. She iced it and tried to serve
it
> to guests on xmas day but it would have blunted a chainsaw;-(
>
> Be very careful when you add the dry ingredients. The soda can cause it
to
> boil over!
> Graham
>
>

graham wrote:
> The one my mother uses is similar to an Irish recipe which,
> in turn, resembles a west Yorkshire one. I don't think that the region is
> all that important. The basic method is the same and the variations in
> fruit and spice would be based on the ingredients to hand and the tastes of
> individual families.
>
> My mother's recipe follows:
> 1 8oz butter (or margarine)
> 2 8oz sugar
> 3 8oz sultanas
> 4 8oz raisins
> 5 1 level tsp mixed (cake) spice
> 6 15 fl.oz milk + water (50:50)
> 7 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
> 8 12 oz self raising flour
> 9 3 large eggs, beaten
>
> Put 1 -6 in a saucepan and bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Take
> off the heat and add the soda a bit at a time - BE CAREFUL, if you add it
> all at once it will boil over!
> Allow to cool.
> Add the flour and eggs. Bake at 300F for about 1.5 hours.
> Mum usually bakes this in several loaf tins. If you use a 7" or 8" round
> tin and bake one cake, I would imagine that it would be better to bake it at
> 275F for longer (covered, initially, to slow browning).
>
> Cheers
> Graham

I've read the same caution about adding the soda before, and some
recipes I've seen have it first dissolved in a little of the liquid. I'm
curious as to why it boils up so. Where does all the required acid come
from? Is there that much in raisins and sultanas?!?

Dave

graham wrote:
> The one my mother uses is similar to an Irish recipe which,
> in turn, resembles a west Yorkshire one. I don't think that the region is
> all that important. The basic method is the same and the variations in
> fruit and spice would be based on the ingredients to hand and the tastes of
> individual families.
>
> My mother's recipe follows:
> 1 8oz butter (or margarine)
> 2 8oz sugar
> 3 8oz sultanas
> 4 8oz raisins
> 5 1 level tsp mixed (cake) spice
> 6 15 fl.oz milk + water (50:50)
> 7 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
> 8 12 oz self raising flour
> 9 3 large eggs, beaten
>
> Put 1 -6 in a saucepan and bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Take
> off the heat and add the soda a bit at a time - BE CAREFUL, if you add it
> all at once it will boil over!
> Allow to cool.
> Add the flour and eggs. Bake at 300F for about 1.5 hours.
> Mum usually bakes this in several loaf tins. If you use a 7" or 8" round
> tin and bake one cake, I would imagine that it would be better to bake it at
> 275F for longer (covered, initially, to slow browning).
>
> Cheers
> Graham

I've read the same caution about adding the soda before, and some
recipes I've seen have it first dissolved in a little of the liquid. I'm
curious as to why it boils up so. Where does all the required acid come
from? Is there that much in raisins and sultanas?!?

Dave