THE MANOR AUSSIE XMAS CAKE

INGREDIENTS.....2 x 227gm cans of crushed pineapple, 1 cup of castor sugar, 125gm of butter/ marg, 2 and 2/3rd cups of dried mixed fruit, pinch of salt, 1 tsp of bi carb of soda, 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1 cup of plain flour, 1 cup of self raising flour, 1 tsp of mixed spice, 2 bags of Allen's ripe raspberry lollies, 2 bags of Allen's spearmint leaves, lollies. Place the crushed pineapple, castor sugar, marg/ butter, mixed dried fruit and salt in a large saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes. Then stir in the bi carb of soda, remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. When completely cool add the 2 beaten eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the plain flour, the self raising flour and the mixed spice. Fold the flour mix into the fruit mixture. Grease and line a 20cm round pan and a mini round pan. Divide the batter between the 2 pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours or until a skewer inseted comes out clean. Leave the cooked cakes in the pans to cool on a wire rack. When the cakes are totally cooled you can ice them , I just use a a basic white icing made with icing sugar, a little butter and a few drops of milk. Liberally ice both cakes with the icing mix around the sides and over the tops. Cover the small iced cake with the ripe strawberry lollies over the surface and sides. Now centre the small cake on the surface of the larger cake. Now line with a few circles of the mint leaf lollies around the base of the smaller cake on top of the larger one. I finished off with a sprinkle of red and green mixed 'sprinkles'. There you have it ....your very own Aussie Waratah Xmas cake. Enjoy Merry Xmas.