Christmas Cake West Indian Style

Directions

1. 1

   Fruit Mixture*** 1 cup raisins 1 cup currants 1/2 cup candied cherries 1/2 cup candied citrus peel 1 cup mixed dried fruit 1 cup rum 1 cup s

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

3. 3

   In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy

4. 4

   Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition

5. 5

   Sift the flour, baking powder and all the dry spices together

6. 6

   Add the lemon essence, almond essence and vanilla essence to the fruit mixture

7. 7

   By hand, stir tablespoonsful of the flour mixture and the fruit mixture alternately into the butter, sugar and egg mixture

8. 8

   Add the browning gradually, stirring until a deepish brown colour is reached