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Vanilla Vintage owner Dorothy Sidlo just likes old things: dresses, furniture, recipes. Her list is long.

And her list includes old-fashioned but easy fruit cake, which she has just posted on her site, based on a recipe by a Mrs. Fontaine. I thought I’d adapt the recipe for you.

Christmas cake is something you can make well ahead of time, so you can get one Christmas dish behind you already this weekend.

Mrs. Fontaine’s old-fashioned Christmas fruit cake recipe

0.6 kg / 1 ½ pounds sifted all-purpose flour
0.8 kg / 1 ¾ pounds white sugar
6 eggs
2.8 dl / ½ pint milk
2 teaspoons soda
2 grated nutmegs (noix de muscade)
450 g / 1 lb raisins
450 g / 1 lb currants (raisins de Corinthe)
½ pound lemon or orange peel
½ gill / 1/4 pint / 1.2 dl brandy
½ gill / 1/4 pint / 1.2 dl rum
1 teaspoon ground cloves (clous de girofles moulus)
Nuts of your choice

Preheat oven to 165° C / 325° F. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth.  Dissolve soda in a little hot water, then add to milk. Add milk to butter and sugar mixture.

Add spices to sifted flour. Mix well.  Beat egg yolks thoroughly. Beat egg whites, until stiff. Fold yolks into flour, then gently fold in beaten egg whites.

Wash and dry all fruit. Chop lemon or orange peel finely. Mix in a bowl, and lightly flour all fruit. Add to cake mixture.

Grease a large tube pan or several small pans. Pour mixture into pan or pans.

Bake in 165° C / 325° F oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until done.  Test with a clean straw or knife. It is done when it comes out clean.

This recipe originally comes from a certain Mrs. Fontaine, who added: “This recipe has been in my family for 60 years.  It was in my mother’s collection . . .   You can substitute berry juice for the rum or gin, if you are religious.  The cake improves with age.”

Suggestions: why not try half white sugar and half brown to give it a little more character? Don’t go too heavy on the nuts; add just enough to give it a bit of crunch.

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