Mix Fruit Cake (Mak's recipe)

Dont know why but out of the blues, I decided to make this. Cant remember when was the last time I made them but must be a decade ago when I was still single and living with my parents. Every raya without fail, mak will make them kinda must have thing for the celebration. Teringat dulu-dulu kalau nak raya, mak will sun the flour and the mix fruit. She got them from Fitzpatrick's Supermarket later become Weld Supermarket and this mix fruit comes in a box under the name Big Sister, not sure whether the Big Sister Mix Fruit is still on the shelf. Those days, mak doesnt have a mixer, I'm quite sure it must be a challenged - imagine got to beat the egg whites manually...aduh rasa nak patah tangan. I just love mak's fruit cake as she steamed them instead of baking it and its so moist. Here's the recipe after the metric conversion:-

Ingredients:-
5 eggs (separate the yolk)
600 grams flour (sieve)
450 grams dried mix fruit
375 grams butter
200 grams caster sugar
200 grams sugar} to make golden syrup
400 ml water }
2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon orange essence

Method:-
1. Heat pan, add 200 grams sugar and once the sugar caramelise add 400 ml water and let it boil until it become syrup and slightly thickens, leave it to cool.
2. Mix flour and mixed fruit, put aside.
3. Beat egg whites with bicarbonate soda till soft peak forms. Add caster sugar, continue to beat until it becomes meringue.
4. Beat butter in a separate bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk one at a time. Add the vanilla and orange essences and mix well. Fold in the meringue.
5. Add the mix fruit/flour.
6. Once combine, add in the golden syrup and mix well.
7. Put the cake mixture in a pan (8" x 8" x 4") and cover with foil.
8. Steam for 3 hours.

Tips: if you dont have orange essence you can use 1 tablespoon of orange sunquick.