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You’ll note a mix of ounces, grams and handfuls. Comes from my “Looks about right” school of cooking.

And I don't measure out the ingredients any more, just do it by sight. So no two boiled cake mixtures are the same!

GOWAN's BOILED CAKE

INGREDIENTS
125g butter

400g large sultanas/jumbo raisins (I use Vine fruit mix from Waitrose or Jumbo Raisin mix from Sainbury’s)

25g Muscovado/dark brown unrefined sugar (can replace with 2 tablespoons Date syrup)

At least 2 tsp of ground cinnamon or nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

About 100ml fresh fruit juice

Coconut water

2 mashed ripe bananas

About 300g self-raising wholemeal flour

100g ground almonds

100-150g milk cooking chocolate

(OPTIONAL) Fresh fruit (drained), eg mango slices, pineapple chunks, mandarin segments (remove pips)

(OPTIONAL) Gran Barquero sweet dessert wine or Malibu Rum

• 2lb (pound) loaf / cake tin
• Airtight container, for cooked cake

PREPARATION
Combine butter, sultanas, sugar (or date syrup), spices, and fruit juice in a saucepan

Bring to boil, stirring for about 5 minutes or till liquid has reduced. The raisins should plump up

Add bicarbonate of soda and stir

Boil for another minute

Leave to cool

MASH BANANAS
• Put a couple of ripe bananas into boiled water, and let stand for few minutes
• Be careful when peeling bananas as they are VERY HOT!
• Peel bananas from opposite end to stem, thus avoiding “strings”
• Tear into chunks and mash. Can add splash of fruit juice to aid mashing

Add mashed bananas to cool mixture and beat well

Stir in ground almonds

Gradually stir in flour, beating well, till mixture "looks OK, moist“; you may not need all the flour. If too stiff add a dash of fruit juice

COOKING
Heat oven to 180C, gas mark 4

Line 2lb (pound) loaf tin with double layer of Baking parchment

Pour slightly less than half mixture into loaf tin

Add bar of cooking milk chocolate

(OPTIONAL) Add layer of fresh fruit

Add rest of cake mixture, making sure fruit/chocolate layers are fully covered.

COOKING
Bake for 55 minutes

Remove from oven

• Lift cake out of Loaf tin using Baking parchment
• Put straight into an airtight container
• Before sealing container, pour some fruit juice / coconut water over all cake
• (OPTIONAL) Instead of fruit juice pour a generous amount of Gran Barquero or Malibu Rum all over the cake

Seal container and leave overnight

(OPTIONAL) Add a bit more alcohol in the morning, especially round the edges. Seal for a day or two

For non-alcoholic version, add coconut water instead of booze, to dampen the sweetness

Beware of naked flames when opening tin!

Share and enjoy

Happy cooking