Boiled Fruit Cake

I found this recipe from Joy of Baking and after reading through the recipe and I thought 'Hey, this one sounds easy to make!'

So I gave it a try and well...it's not so bad. It is so rich of fruits and I love it!

Ingredients:

1 cup (210 grams) light brown sugar
1 cup (240 ml) hot water
1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ( I think I would reduce this amount next time as I found it too strong)
1/2 teaspoon ground clove (I didn't put)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I didn't put)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (125 grams) seedless raisins
1/2 cup (65 grams) dried cranberries
1/2 cup (75 grams) dried cherries
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (175 grams) candied and chopped mixed peel


Methods:

1. Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable, a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). (Note: if using a dark colored pan reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).)
3. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil the sugar, water, butter, spices, raisins, cranberries, and cherries. Boil for five minutes, remove from heat, and let cool till lukewarm.
4. Stir into this mixture the flour, baking soda, vanilla extract and candied fruit.
5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6.Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
7. Cover and store, if possible, for a few days before serving.

I tried to cut the cake after 2 hours of cooling but the cutting was not nice so I kept it for another day. So next day when I tried to cut it, it turned ok. So if you want to cut it nicely, leave the cake for several days as suggested.