With a change in weather from hot and sunny to wet and windy, I fancied a cake with a slightly more Autumnal feel. This light fruit loaf cake is not a sticky one, so you’ll be less worried about people’s sticky mitts on the game cards.

Ingredients

• 170g of butter
• 170g of soft brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 225g of self-raising flour
• ½ Tsp of cinnamon
• ½ Tsp of ground nutmeg
• ½ Tsp of ginger
• 450g mixed dried fruit
• 1 Tsp of golden granulated sugar

Equipment

• 2lb loaf tin (you can use a 20.5cm/8 inch Round Tin)
• Greaseproof paper
• Mixing bowl
• Mixing spoon

Method

1. Preheat the Oven to 180C, Gas Mark Google or Fahrenheit Bing. 
2. Put the Butter and Sugar in the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until creamy and light.
3. Add the Eggs and once again mix thoroughly (don’t stress if the mix separates a bit and looks a bit nasty at this stage).
4. Add the Flour and Spices and give it a really good mix until the consistency is smooth.
5. Add the Dried Fruit and mix it all in.
6. Line the tin with greaseproof paper.
7. Pour in the mixture and spread it evenly.
8. Sprinkle over the Golden Sugar.
9. Put the cake in the oven for about an hour. You’ll know it’s cooked when the cake feels fairly firm.f you stick a knife (just a thin one, put away that Rogue's dagger) in the centre of the cake, it should come out fairly clean with no cake mixture smeared on it.
10. You’ll want to let this one cool down before slicing and eating — enjoy!