Easiest Fruit Cake Ever.......

This fabulous little recipe comes from Sue Lawrence in her book 'Eating In'.

If I know in advance that we are going camping I always try to make a cake to take so we have something nice to have with a cup of tea when we arrive (or something nice to eat in the campervan in a traffic jam on the M5!) Fruit cakes are ideal for this because they keep so well. This is a really easy recipe, made with condensed milk to help keep it moist. The recipe has no butter in it so it is nice to cut it into slices and serve with a smear of butter on top.

EASIEST FRUIT CAKE RECIPE - Serves 8-10

Ingredients

700g/1lb 9oz mixed dried fruit
Juice & zest of a lemon
150g/5 1/2oz self-raising flour
1 large egg
1 x 400g can of condensed milk
1 tspn mixed spice

Method

Preheat the oven to 150c/300f/Gas 2 and line a 23cm/9inch loose-based cake tin with baking parchment.

Place the fruit in a pan with 125ml/4 fl oz cold water, the lemon juice and zest.

Bring slowly to the boil over a low heat, stirring all the time.

Leave to bubble for a minute then remove from the heat.

Cover and leave to cool until barely tepid.

Once it has cooled, add the flour, spice, egg and milk and stir well. Tip into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, covering loosely with foil after an hour to prevent the fruit from burning. It is ready when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack and let it cool completely in the tin before turning it out.

I transport mine to the campsite in a cake tin but you can just wrap it in foil of clingfilm.

Serve with a cup of tea!