Moist and traditional, this wonderful cake has a flavour that improves on keeping. With its firm texture, this is an ideal recipe to use for decorating.

Ingredients

• 375 grams butter, softened
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• grated rind of 1 large lemon
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 3½ cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups currants, chopped raisins or dried cranberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Using an electric beater, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and lemon rind together until smooth, light and creamy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and nutmeg together and gently stir one-third of the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture wit ha slotted spoon. Add one-third of the milk. Repeat with reaming dry ingredients and milk. Mix only until the ingredients are combined.
5. Stir in the dried fruit and turn into the prepared cake tin.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool in tin for 15-20 minutes before turning out on to a cake rack to cool.
8. Stir in an airtight container for 3 days before cutting. This will allow the cake to set so that it cuts without crumbling and allow the flavours to marry.