Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/Gas
4. Double line an 18cm round cake tin. Cream the butter and sugar
together until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the eggs with the
vanilla essence, beating well after each addition. Sift together the
flour, salt and baking powder, add a little with the last of the egg,
then fold in the rest.
Gently fold in the apricots, ginger
and pineapple and the fruit rinds, then add sufficient fruit juice and
milk to give a fairly soft dropping consistency.
Spoon into the cake tin and smooth the
top with a wet spoon. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven
temperature to 160oC/325oF/Gas 3 and bake for a
further 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until firm to the touch and a skewer comes
out of the centre clean. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
Wrap in fresh paper before storing in an airtight container.