A quick, light fruit cake

his is not your traditional, heavy Christmas cake that will keep for years if plied with enough alcohol, but a lighter, fresher-tasting fruit cake, for which the mixture is boiled, then baked. It's utterly delicious, keeps for a week, and can be baked in the middle of the mad rush towards Christmas - or any time throughout the year. You can decorate it with blanched almonds before baking if you're that way inclined.

Feeds 8 Takes 1 hr 45 mins

• 125 g butter
• 250 g sultanas
• 250 g currants
• 180g soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 250 ml water
• 2 eggs, well-beaten
• 150 g plain flour
• 150 g self-raising flour

1. Heat oven to 180C (350F). Roughly chop the butter. In a saucepan, combine the butter, sultanas, currants, sugar, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, bicarbonate of soda and water. Bring to the boil, stirring, then set aside to cool.
   
   
2. When cool, transfer to a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat well, with a wooden spoon. Sift the two flours into the mixture and beat well. Pour into a lightly oiled cake tin of around 22 cm (8 in) diameter.
   
   
3. Bake for one hour, or until a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing the cake from the tin. Cool, and store in an airtight container.