1½ cups butter

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

6 large eggs

½ cup orange juice or black coffee

½ cup glace cherries

1¼ cup brown sugar

1/3 tsp salt

1½ tsp mixed spices

250g currants/sultanas

125g dates

¾ cup chopped pecan nuts

Cream butter and sugar till it is light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and beat in well into batter.  (If it shows sign of curdling add a little of the flour with each egg.) 

Sift all dry ingredients together.  Dust the dried fruit with a little of the flour.   Add rest of flour to batter and mix-in. 

Now add fruit and nuts and lastly the orange juice or the black coffee.   Put in lined, greased tin and bake in moderate oven (350°F – 180°C) for 1½ hours.