A Healthy Fruit Cake

 My friend Rea gave me this recipe and made it for morning tea at aqua.  It's delicious and one of the moistest fruit cakes I have ever tasted.  I think you could add in extra nuts to your liking, and substitute sherry for any alcohol you enjoy.  It's essentially a boiled fruitcake, cooked in a traditional low oven but with a very untraditional ingredient!

Ingredients

1 kilo mixed fruit
1 cup apricot nectar

1 teaspooon honey

1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin (400 grams) - I use butternut pumpkin as its sweeter.

1-1/2 cups self raising flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

walnuts to decorate

1 tablespoon sherry

Method

Preheat oven to 150C.  (a slow oven)

Place fruit, nectar and honey in a saucepan, bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Allow to cool.

Stir in pumpkin.

Fold in sifted flour, spice and bi-carb.

Pour into a greased and lined 18cm square or round cake tin.

Bake for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, or until cooked when tested with a skewer - it should come out clean and dry.

Pour sherry over the cake while hot, and allow to stand at least 10 minutes before turning out to cool.

Store in an airtight container.