Anna Sultana's Floating Fruit Cake / COVID-19 Precautions

We’re going through a major pandemic.

Many towns and cities have instituted measures to reduce the virus’s spread.

Staying home is very important.

Our parents went to war.

We can manage to stay home to help protect our families, as well as our neighbours and friends.

On Facebook some friends have been mentioning that they were having trouble focusing on anything on their ‘To Do’ lists.

We’ve all been hit with a major shock.

I think we're just a little stunned by what is happening, but we will get back to normal after we've adjusted to the new reality.

A quick review of the COVID-19 precautions...

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or use hand sanitizers that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Avoid close contact with anyone who appears sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then toss the tissue in the trash.

Disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces.

Talk to your doctor if you develop symptoms.

Stay home if you develop symptoms.

Avoid nonessential travel to areas with active COVID-19 outbreaks.

Visit the website for your local health department for updates.

If you are caring for an older adult:

Know what medications are needed and help them have extra.

Monitor food and medical supplies and have a back-up plan.

Stock up on non-perishable food to reduce shopping trips.

If a loved one is in a care facility, monitor the situation, ask about the residents and know the protocol if there is an outbreak.

Seniors are particularly susceptible to this virus.

We’ve been asked to avoid going out as much as possible.

Meanwhile we still have to eat, and that usually means going to a store.
Especially during a Manitoba Spring, when our gardens are still under a foot or two of snow and nights can go below freezing.

Before going to a store, why not shop your kitchen.

If you’re like me over the years you’ve picked up a few tins of food that are sitting quietly on a shelf in your kitchen.

Now is the time to use them.

Think of clearing our kitchen shelves as the one silver lining of this cloud.

Ma’s floating fruit cake recipe is perfect for now.
She would use it when the budget was tight or she was too busy to go out.

It uses a tin of pie filling or fruit and doesn’t need eggs, which I found were missing from the shelves when I went to our grocery store on Monday.

We’re going to have to make do.

People have done that before.

We’re going to have to stay indoors.

Anne Frank and many others did that and more during WW II.

We’re all in this together.

We can do this.
Stay safe and well.

Hints:

Don’t have pie filling but do have a can of peaches, pears, apples or some other fruit?

Use the fruit and syrup, and take pride in knowing you’ve finally found a way to use it.

Don’t have sliced almonds? Chopped walnuts are also good.

About the dash of spice…Nutmeg goes well with peach, apple, or passion fruit.

Cinnamon sugar goes with just about any fruit.

You know what your family likes, and what is on your kitchen's shelf.

You can also leave the spice, as well as the nuts, out.

                        Floating Fruit Cake 

grease 2 8-inch square pans

        

preheat oven to 350º           

Sift into a large bowl

2 Cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Cup sugar

Cut in

4 Tablespoons margarine or butter

Add

1 Cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix well.

Spread half of the batter in each of the prepared pans.

Spoon over the top of each pan of batter

1/2 can of fruit pie filling

Pour over each layer of fruit

1 Cup boiling water

Sprinkle over each

1/4 Cup sliced almonds, more or less

a dash of spice (see hints)

Bake 40 minutes.

Serve warm.