Gumdrop Fruit Cake

Ingredients:

400g sugar
200g butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
360ml unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
560g flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
450g coarsely-ground nuts
450g sultanas
900g gumdrops (do not use black ones)

Method:

Add 1 tbsp of the butter to a non-stick pan and use to fry the nuts until browned then take off the heat and transfer to a bowl.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a separate bowl until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, bating thoroughly after each addition to mix in. Now add the apple sauce and vanilla and beat in to combine.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a separate bowl. Reserve 140g (1 cup) of this mixture and add the remainder to the egg and butter mix. Stir thoroughly to combine then set aside.

Use a little hot water into which you should dip a pair of scissors to chop the gumdrops. Add these and the cooked nuts to the reserved flour mixture. Toss to combine then add to the prepared batter.

Line a loaf tin with greased waxed paper then turn in the batter (do not fill the pans any more than 2/3 full) then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 140°C and bake for about 90 minutes, or until done (the actual time will depend on the size of the cake tin). The cake is done when the top is browned and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly.

Remove the cake from the tin and take away the waxed paper. Re-wrap the cake in fresh waxed paper (this keeps in the moisture) then set aside to cool. Either serve as as is or ice (frost) before serving.