Genoa Cake Recipe

225 g/8 oz butter or margarine, softened
100 g/4 oz caster (superfine) sugar
4 eggs, separated
5 ml/1 tsp almond essence (extract)

5 ml/1 tsp grated orange rind
225 g/8 oz raisins, chopped

100g/4 oz currants, chopped

100 g/4 oz sultanas (golden raisins), chopped
50g/2 oz glace (candied) cherries, chopped
50g/2 oz chopped mixed (candied) peel
100 g/4 oz ground almonds

25 g/1 oz almonds
350 g/12 oz plain (all-purpose) flour
10 ml/2 tsp baking powder
5 ml/1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Cream together the butter or margarine and sugar, then beat in the egg yolks, almond essence and orange rind. Mix the fruit and nuts with a little of the flour until coated, then stir in spoonfuls of the flour, baking powder and cinnamon alternately with spoonfuls of the fruit mixture until everything is well blended. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the mixture. Spoon into a greased and lined 23 cm/9 in cake tin (pan) and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for a further 1.5 hours until springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.