The original recipe for a larger cake, baked in a round cake tin:
Churchill’s fruit cake
This cake was one of Winston Churchill’s favourites. It was baked by his longstanding cook, Georgina Landemare, who catered for him during the Second World War at Downing Street and then at his family home, Chartwell in Kent. This version of the fruit cake is inspired by Mrs Landemare’s original recipe, which Churchill would have enjoyed.
• 20 minutes prep. time
• 1½-2 hours cooking time
• Serves 12
Ingredients:
• 280g dried mixed fruit
• 2 cups strong black tea
• 225g butter
• 170g dark brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 285g self-raising flour
• 110g glacé cherries, halved
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tbsp black treacle (optional)
Step 1 Soak the dried fruit in the tea, preferably overnight, to allow most of the tea to be absorbed.
Step 2 Preheat the oven to 150°C (fan 140°C/gas mark 2) and grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin.
Step 3 Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the mixture, and continue to cream together.
Step 4 Gradually beat the eggs into the mixture, adding a little flour to stop the mixture from splitting or curdling.
Step 5 Fold in the flour and add the mixed spice to the mixture.
Step 6 Add in the mixed fruit and glacé cherries and continue to fold together. If there is a little leftover tea from the mixed fruit, add it to the cake mixture along with the fruit. However, if there’s a lot of tea left, drain the fruit before adding it. Continue to fold and stir, while adding the treacle.
Step 7 Once completely mixed together, scrape the mixture into the cake tin and leave to bake for 2 hours. To check that the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean the cake is cooked through.
Step 8 Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. Finish with a light dusting of caster sugar.