DOREEN Peters is a fruit cake-making queen.
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For 30 years she has entered her famous fruit cake into the Lithgow Show along with other entries into the pavilion.
"I've always supported the show because it's local and my son has been involved since he was 16 and he's now 61," she said.
"I've entered a few different things over the years with photographs, veggies, flowers, and when my husband was alive he entered apples and he used to win prizes through them, he's been gone for 9 years now," she said.
Mrs Peters said her fruit cake was popular with family, friends and also the RFS crew which she works the canteen for. "I love fruit cake and so does everyone else. If I'm doing the canteen for the RFS I usually send out fruit cake for morning or afternoon tea," she said.
She said she often makes several fruit cakes until she's satisfied she has made the best one. "Whenever you make one you're trying to do your best but end up making a couple.
"We've got next year's Christmas cake sorted," she laughed.
Fruit cake method:
- Mix together all fruit and nuts, sprinkle with sherry, cover and leave for four hours or preferably overnight
- Sift together flour and spices, cream together with butter, sugar and essences
- Add eggs one at a time to the mix, beating well after each addition then alternatively add fruit and flour to the mixture
- Mix thoroughly ensuring mixture is stiff enough to support a wooden spoon
- Place mix into prepared tin no larger than 20cm
- Bake in slow oven for 3 and 1/4 hours
- Allow to cool in tin
- To ensure unity of the cake ensure raisins are snipped in 2-3 pcs, cherries 4-6 pcs and almonds 3-4 pcs.
Mrs Peters already has a fruit cake ready to enter into Lithgow Show and the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
She won at the Zone 12 rich fruit cake competition in November 2019 at Mudgee, which pushed her through to enter at the Sydney Show. Due to COVID-19 the 2020 show was cancelled.
"Sydney [show] didn't go ahead last year so we're continuing on from where we left off so I'm taking my fruit cake down there next week," Mrs Peters said.
"I don't expect my fruit cake to do any good at Sydney Show but the point is it will have Lithgow on it. Even if it doesn't win anything, it's still there," she said.
Mrs Peters encouraged people to enter their exhibits in Lithgow Show.
"If you're entering one thing, try enter other things because that's what you do for your local show. Don't enter to win, do it to support the show and make a display," she said.
"It mightn't do any good but you still give it a go."
She said by making multiple entries, it generated an interest in the show.
"We need the support, we're doing it tough. So enter something, go have a look and compare it to other entries. That's what makes a display and gets people to come to the show," she said.
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Alanna Tomazin
Alanna is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald with a focus on education. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at alanna.tomazin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Alanna is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald with a focus on education. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at alanna.tomazin@austcommunitymedia.com.au
