Granny’s easy microwave Christmas cake recipe
Make this fool proof, delicious Christmas cake in less than 1 hour and treat your holiday guests with this fruity delight.

My late grandmother, Christine Arnold, absolutely loved her microwave. She adored the efficiency of this (then) state-of-the-art technology and the time it saved her. Here is her foolproof Christmas cake recipe that we still make and enjoy in her memory every year.
INGREDIENTS:
500g Cake Mix (see photo below)
150g Sultanas
250g Dried pitted dates
130g Margarine
1 cup Treacle sugar
250ml of strong black coffee (adding boiling water to a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee is fine)
5ml bicarbonate of soda
2 cups of flour
3ml baking powder
2ml mixed spice
1ml salt
75g to 250g cherries and nuts (depending on taste and budget you can add lots of cherries and pecan nuts)
2ml dried ginger
2ml cinnamon
2 whisked eggs
25ml brandy (optional, you can always add more to taste)
METHOD:
Mix the cake mix, sultanas, dates, margarine, coffee, and treacle sugar in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 3 minutes on high. Stir and microwave for 2 minutes on high.
Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir. Add the nuts and cherries. Stir and let the mixture cool down. Add the eggs and stir.
Sift the flour, ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and mixed spice and add to the mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon.
Smear a microwave-safe bowl with butter and line the bottom with wax paper. Add the mixture and microwave for 35 minutes on medium or low.
Test the cake with a toothpick to see if the cake is done baking, if it comes out clear it is ready, if dough sticks to it when you remove it microwave on medium or low for another five minutes and test again.
Take out the cake and add brandy.
Wrap in tinfoil once cool to keep it fresh until you serve the cake. Goes well with a cup of Rooibos tea.