Sultana Cake

Ingredients

8 oz. butter
0.700 grams (1½ lb.) sultanas
1 cup caster sugar
4 oz. blanched almonds
2½ cups plain flour
¼ cup brandy
¼ cup self-raising flour
Pinch salt
5 eggs*
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Cover sultanas with warm water and soak for 2 hours.  Drain and let dry for 24 hours on a clean tea towel .

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add egg mixture* slowly whilst beating.

Add sifted flours and salt alternatively with the sultanas, then add almonds, reserving a few almonds to decorate the top of the cake. Fold in brandy and vanilla extract.

Place mixture into a greased and paper lined 21 cm or 23 cm (8” or 9”) square cake tin.

Bake in a moderately slow oven – 150/160 Celsius or 300/325 Fahrenheit for approximately 1¾ hours.

To stop the top from burning place some alluminium foil of the top of the cake half way through cooking.  If you put this on immediately the batter will stick to the foil.

*For all cakes, I beat eggs together in a bowl and then add the mixture a bit at a time.

Any cake tin – square, round or oblong