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This easy light fruit cake recipe from The Shady Baker can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY JANE SMITH
LIGHT FRUIT CAKE
Serves 15–20
250g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Zest of 2 lemons
3 eggs
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
2½ cups (375g) plain flour
1/3 cup (80ml) liquid, such as orange juice, lemon juice, brandy or sherry
300g mixed dried fruit, such as sultanas, currants and raisins
100g slivered almonds
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a high-sided 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Put the butter, sugar, vanilla and zest into a mixing bowl. Beat until pale and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Sift in the mixed spice, baking powder and flour, then add the liquid, fruit and almonds and mix until combined.
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth using the back of a spoon. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes in the tin. Remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool.
Visit The Shady Baker website or find Jane on Instagram.
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To hear more extraordinary stories about women living in rural and regional Australia, listen to our podcast Life on the Land on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
The Shady Baker chats to Graziher’s Life on the Land podcast about her life on a sheep station east of Broken Hill and her love of cooking for her family.
These days, she’s a pillar of the community. But decades ago, Amanda Ferrari had no connection to the country — just a hankering for the land and an urgent sense of belonging.
The family went from drought to floods in just three days.
Start now and you’ll have this simple butter cake in the oven in 15 minutes — we promise! It’s an adapted recipe from Sophie Hansen’s treasure of a cookbook, In Good Company.
She visits Mildura and the Sunraysia Farmers’ Market and picks up fresh ingredients for these tasty treats.
Jane Smith (aka The Shady Baker) shares a traditional family recipe that’s perfect for gifts and gatherings.
