Ketchers Mitts And Layovers Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons mixed spice
2 1/2 lbs dried fruit
1/2 lb sliced almonds
3/4 lb glace cherries
12 ounces butter
12 ounces sugar (dark brown if available)
6 eggs
1 tablespoon good cold coffee
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 pint brandy
1/2 pint leftover tea

Preparation

.Buy a new washing up bowl.
soak the dried fruit in leftover tea from the teapot for 24hours.
soak the cherries in brandy.I keep in an airtight container and enjoy sniffing from time to time.
Line a 9 inch tin with two layers of greaseproof paper and grease the paper.
Strain the soaking fruit retaining the cherry brandy for feeding the cake when cooked.Mix the fruit with the flour salt and spice.
Cream the butter and sugar in your nice new washing up bowl.
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Stir in fruit and flour.
Add nuts.
add a little milk if necessary to achieve a dropping consistency.
Add coffee.
Put mixture in tin and smooth over.
Bake for 1.5 hours at gas mark 2.
Reduce to gas mark 1/2 for 1.5 hours.
finish at gas mark 1/4 allowing 5 to 5.5 hours altogether.
Have friends in for coffee while its cooking.
Cool in tin.
feed with saved cherry brandy until all the brandy has gone.Can be done in a week but is better done over longer.
Ice as desired.