Does anyone have a recipe for boiled fruit cake, using almond 'flour', please?

You can just use ground almonds instead of self raising flour and add baking powder, I teaspoon per 8 ounces plus I add another 1/2 teaspoon

Years ago I used to make a boiled fruit cake, but haven’t done so for years and have lost the recipe. My lovely Dad used to call it Patsy’s ‘boily bake’. I’ll try and find the recipe as it was good.

axxliz please let us know how it turns out - every recipe I have seen has used wheat flour, not ground almonds, so I would be interested to know whether it works because almond flour contains a lot more fat than wheat flour.

That looks lovely Dinahmo, and I bet it brings out the best in the fruit, making it nice and moist if you use mixed dried fruit.

Anoyingly I have a problem with fruit too (especially dried fruit) but I'm wondering if I could work out a mixture of fruit that would work - your cranberries would be okay. It would be great to have another "everyone's" cake.

Thank you for asking the original question axxliz. It will be good to hear how it goes.

This is a recipe from a cookery book produced by the owner of a now defunct cafe in my local town.

500gm mixed fruit
225ml water
175g brown sugar
125 gm unsalted butter
1tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarb

Put all the above into a saucepan, bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute and leave to cool.

When cool beat in 2 eggs and 250g flour plus 1 pinch of salt.

Pour into a greased and lined 8" round loose bottomed tin.

Bake at 160C for an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

When I make it I reduce the sugar to 125gms and substitute ground almonds and also used caster sugar instead of brown.
I also use apricots and prunes cut into small pieces and dried cranberries instead of the usual mixed fruit..

Thank you all. I am going ahead now with an old recipe for Boiled fruit cake and I will replace most of the flour with almond flour. I intend to write the recipe as I collect the ingredients and if it is successful then I shall put it here, if anyone is interested. Great group!!!! x

kittylester

If it is a gluten issue, axxliz, try using an standard gf flour.

I have only just seen this and although we now know it was an "I have a lot of x and want to make something with it" issue - not one to do with being gluten-free, someone may read this and want a GF recipe or a wheat-free one.

That is the reason I like the Spanish Orange Cake; I cannot digest wheat. I'm sure *Kittylester" has found just swapping to standard GF flour works but I never have so, just a warning that, if you are trying this you may have to experiment. The point of gluten-free flour is that it has no gluten in it - no stretch and stickiness. I have found that, depending on what I am making, I have had to add this back in some way. You could use xanthan gum or you can swap a proportion of the GF flour for glutenous rice flour (no gluten, just more sticky starch molecules).

I just wouldn't want someone starting on what is a fairly difficult journey to fall at the first attempt and not know we all do and it's just a case of experimenting.

PippaZ

I don't find using almonds drier than wheat flour axxliz, if anything it is the otherway round.

Nor me - almond cakes are usually very moist

I don't find using almonds drier than wheat flour axxliz, if anything it is the otherway round.

Thank you to everyone who has replied to me; most helpful. Almond flour is simply almonds ground to a fine consistency and I bought some for a particular recipe but forgot what I wanted it for, then remembered but forgot that I had bought the almond flour, so bought more!!!! I know that it is confusing but this is my life and I am used to it. I know that the cake will be dry, but 'boiling' the fruit will help and I shall use less almond flour than I use when making this cake with wheat flour. Basically, I just want to use my surplus 'flour'. Once again, thank you!!!!! xx

kittylester

Boiled fruitcake recipe

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/323248/recipe/nans-boiled-fruit-cake

It is quite an old fashioned recipe pippaz but I am surprised you haven't heard of it.

Every day's a school day Kittylister.

If it is a gluten issue, axxliz, try using an standard gf flour.

Boiled fruitcake, to me, is putting all the dried fruit, sugar, margarine, spices and water in a pan to boil and simmer for a short while, then cool down before adding flour and eggs. As you say, kittylester it's a recipe idea that's been doing the rounds for decades.

I haven't tried it with almond flour, though I have used coconut flour in other recipes, which unfortunately results in a very dry texture and taste.

Boiled fruitcake recipe

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/323248/recipe/nans-boiled-fruit-cake

It is quite an old fashioned recipe pippaz but I am surprised you haven't heard of it.

Almond flour, Ground Almonds and Almond Meal are all the same but I have only seen it sold as Ground Almonds in the UK so it may help to ask for that. As I said, their has been a real shortage of this over recent months.

That's interesting kittylester, but these are cakes where the fruit is boiled. If they are not, as you tell us, "boiled fruit cakes" perhaps you could explain what is. It's difficult to help without knowing what the OP and you mean by the term.

Boiled fruit cake is very different from those cakes. I make something similar without the need to boil the oranges. The recipe was provided by absent.

Almond flour is, I assume, not the same as ground almonds.

I will follow this with interest.

Very similar. Should be nice.

The Nigella Clementine cake is very easy and uses ground almonds.

www.nigella.com/recipes/clementine-cake

Just thought I ought to add that there has been a shortage of ground almonds for some while. It seems to be getting better but don't be surprised if you have to hunt for it.

I'm not sure just what you mean. I make a Spanish Orange Cake which uses Ground Almonds - Almond Flour is an Americanism but it may be coming to the UK. I'm still old school on this.

I have tweaked my recipe but you can find similar all over the internet. Mine is:

2 large Oranges
5 Eggs
250 grams Caster
250 grams Ground Almonds
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Oven at 200 for large cake - I use a 20cm tin - lined.
2. Poach the oranges, covered with water in a saucepan for half an hour. (Some recipes say 15 mins, drain and then 15 mins to ensure there is no bitterness but I don't find I need to.)
3. Chop oranges into quarters and remove the skin. Remove pith (fiddly but worth it) and shred skin. Blend until smooth.
4. Place eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with mixer until pale, fluffy and doubled in size.
5. Add orange mixture, vanilla, baking powder, ground almonds into the bowl and mix well.
6. Spoon mixture into the lined cake tin.
7. Cook for about an hour but check and cover if necessary.
8. Leave to cool before cutting.

You can make small cakes - lots - but you will have to adjust the oven temperature and cooking time.

Mine has less almonds to sugar than some. I find it makes a nice moist cake but check out the internet for one that suits you.