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1
Clean and prepare all fruit except the prunes.
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2
Pick over vine fruit and remove any stems.
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3
Chop the larger fruit into small pieces (a pair of scissors does the job more easily than a knife).
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4
Mix the fruits in a bowl and add brandy and sherry.
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5
Cover tightly and leave overnight or longer.
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6
Prepare one deep 23 cm square cake tin (or, for one cake to keep and one to give, one 20 cm square tin and one 15 cm square).
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7
Grease the interior of the tin(s) with butter.
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8
Line with two layers of brown paper cut to fit and to project above the sides of the tin by about 5 cm.
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9
Inside the brown paper, fit a layer of grease proof paper, projecting similarly.
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10
Butter the inside of the grease proof.
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11
Pit and chop the prunes.
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12
Cream the butter and sugar well.
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13
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each in thoroughly.
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14
Add prunes.
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15
Sift flours together and add the butter-sugar mixture alternately with the fruit.
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16
Add the essence and coffee.
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17
Put the mixture into the prepared tins(s).
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18
Dip one hand in cold water and pat the surface of the cake flat.
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19
(The thin layer of water keeps the surface moist for a long time and lessens the chance of the cake rising in the middle.)
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20
Bake in a preheated 150C oven for 1 hour, then reduce the heat to 135C and cook for a further 2 1/4 hours.
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21
Take the cake from the oven and fold the extra paper layers over the top of the cake, tin and all, while still hot in at least 4 layers of newspaper.
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22
Place on a rack and leave overnight.
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23
(This process keeps the cake moist and prevents it cracking on top while it cools.)
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24
In the morning, remove from the tin, peel off the paper and store the cakes(s) in an airtight tin.
