General Chat

I make a "MRs Robbins" fruit cake every year and use it for my xmas cake. Its one where you boil the fruit. sugar etc in a pan and then add to the flour etc. Mix to a thick batter and bake.

This is a lighter fruit cake than most traditional ones and keeps well for a week.

But this year, i want a deeper cake so am thinking about doubling the ingredients.

Has anyone ever doubled a fruit cake recipe and if so did it work? Do you need to adjust the temp or time maybe?

I just want a few opinions please.

I’m pretty sure you do need to make changes.

I think you will find tables for various tin sizes etc on google, which might help.

I love a boiled fruit cake Florence. Sorry, I can’t help with your doubling query although I think it would take longer in the oven.

Do let us know what you decide and what it tastes like.

I,ve just looked this up and it seems to be a loaf cake so not sure how you can make it deeper.

Round and square fruit cakes are usually made in larger or smaller tins, not deeper.

Is a loaf cake not called fruit bread? Completely different from a boiled fruit cake which I learned to make when living in Oz.

It’s a long time since I made one as there is only me to eat it now but it’s defo a fruit cake made in a round or square tin.

Florence, here’s the ingredients from Margaret Fulton’s book that I used.

An Australian cup is 250 ml.

BOILED FRUIT CAKE

750 g (1.5 lb) mixed dried fruit
185 g (6 ozs) butter or margarine
1.25 cups of firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
2 tbsp mixed spice
1 cup water
2 tbsp rum or sherry. (I used sherry as I don’t like rum)
1 cup plain flour *
1.5 cups SR flour *
* (I used all SR so did not use the qtr tsp bicarb stated in the original recipe)
Qtr tsp salt
3 eggs

(Sorry can’t do halves or quarters on this iPad, so typed 1.5 eg.)

Do you use more or less of everything?

This amount requires baking in the oven (after boiling some ingredients of course) in a 20 cm (8 inch) cake tin that has been greased and lined with two layers of greaseproof paper in a preheated moderate oven (180 C/ 350 F) for 45 minutes then reduce heat to moderately slow (160 C / 325 F) and bake for a further 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean,

I looked up Mrs Robbins fruit cake and it seemed to be made in a loaf tin, hence the term loaf cake or even tea loaf.

Maybe Florence could make two and use something like marzipan to join them, seeing as it is Christmas. Then it would definitely be deeper.

I normally use a square tin 7x7 inches and about 2 inches deep.

My new tin is a rectangular shape 11 x7 inches and 4 inches deep.

My Mrs Robbins recipe is this:

4oz marg
6oz sugar. Dark brown or light.
6oz of currants
6oz of sultanas
8fl oz of water
1 level tsp of mixed spice
2 beaten eggs
4oz plain flour
4oz of s/r flour
pinch of salt.

Once all mixed etc, it goes centre of oven at 350F or 180C for 1 1/4 hours

I was thinking maybe to perhaps lower the heat a little and cook for slightly longer?

I just wanted a bigger and deeper cake this year so there was more to give to my neighbours and any visitors. I make about 3 dozen mince pies to for the neighbours, 6 each. I only have 3 other neighbours so not too many, 5 people in total excluding ourselves.

yes, a fruit loaf made in a bread tin, but this is a larger cake for xmas.

Thanks ladies, shall let you know how it goes in due course.

Names, there is quite a simple recipe online for Mrs Robins fruit cake baked in a round or square tin so that may be as Florence bakes it.

When you’ve done it Florence send a chunk my way please and I’ll put the kettle on.

OMG, take a look. I’ve looked at the Dairy Diary and there are some lush, mouth-watering recipes for all sorts not just boiled fruit cake. Very tempting indeed and some things may be worth a try over Xmas. :-D

I only spotted the recipes on loaf tins.

Florence look at the on line tables for increasing sizes as I recommended.
The deeper tin you now have should also help as it gives a cake more room to rise.

Florence, I have a recipe called a "Never Fail" cake which is a boiled fruit cake that I usually do in a 7" square tin. I think I usually do mine at 160 degrees for about an hour and a half. Yonks ago in 1993 I doubled the quantities for a cake for my Dad's 80th birthday party. I borrowed a much larger square cake tin.and after an hour and a half just kept testing it with a skewer. I can't remember how long it took before the skewer came out clear but I think it took quite a bit longer than usual. Don't forget if it takes longer you might have to cover the top to stop it getting too brown (or burnt!).

Good luck and can I come to tea please?

Ty SuffolkVera, yes i would cover it to stop it getting burnt. Yes names, i will have a look at that too.

Ok xmas afternoon tea round at mine, everyone invited. mince pies, oven scones with jam, xmas cake and nibbles.
If we all lived nearer to each other, i would happily have an open house afternoon and invite you all but sadly we are all so far away from each other :-(

Thanks for all your suggestions

Advice from Delia on doubling cake recipes:

"This scaling up is more difficult with cake recipes – they cannot simply be doubled or tripled. However, as a general rule, square tins hold about 25 per cent more than round tins of the same size. The cooking temperature would be the same, but it might take longer to cook, and it’s a good idea to turn the cake tin round in the oven a few times after it has had its first 4 hours (or 3 hours for a 6 inch / 15cm cake) because the corners tend to cook faster than the middle."
[and more info about quantities, tin sizes, etc]
https://www.deliaonline.com/information-centre/scaling-up-cake-recipes