Pimm's for Christmas?

Pimm's is a traditional summer spirit, but if you still have some left in your cupboard, why not use it to make a fruit cake?

This fruit cake uses some of the Pimm's cocktail ingredients with a twist: fresh orange rind and candied orange and lemon pieces, lemon juice and mint as a garnish - you can go the whole hog by adding dried strawberries, dried apple rings and cucumber juice. This cake could make an alternative Christmas dessert if iced and topped with seasonal decorations. If you make it in advance, inject Pimm's every so often to keep it moist and store wrapped in foil.



Serves 12
2/3 cup of raisins
2/3 cup of lemon and orange candied pieces
Grated rind of one orange
1/4 cup of Pimm's
3/4 cup melted butter
3/4 white sugar
3 eggs
2 cups of plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180C (170C if you have a fan oven). Place raisins, candied fruit and grated rind in a bowl, give them a stir and soak them in Pimm's for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter, then beat in the eggs one by one. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon then add gradually, mixing till combined. Add the soaked fruit and rind, then mix with wooden spoon.

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper. Pour in the mixture and smooth its surface. Bake for 1.15 minutes, check the cake and continue baking till a toothpick or skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin, then transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.