fruit cake flour - can a mix of plain and spelt flour be equivalent to wholemeal?

[ipanemagirl]

I'm half way through a good housekeeping book recipe for a fruit cake (loaf tin type made with fruit soaked overnight in cold tea) and realised it asks for wholemeal rather than plain.

It's 12 oz fruit
8 oz wholemeal flour

But I do have plain and spelt flour. Would say 6 oz plain flour and 2 oz spelt work maybe? Or 5 plain to 3 spelt?

I just don't want to buy MORE flour as I have this lot and I bake so rarely that it just gets wasted!

If it fails then that's fine, I just wondered if anyone had a hunch on it!

[moondog]

I'd go 5/3.

[ipanemagirl]

Thanks moondog, so it might just work do you think?

[moondog]

Noreason why not!

[ipanemagirl]

Cake's out, smells fab, top a bit burnt, but my m says wholemeal flour more absorbent.

Can't wait to taste it, thanks for advice.

[moondog]

How does it taste?

Sodoes your mother say wholemeal cooks quicker than white?

[ipanemagirl]

tastes aMAzing, outside a little burnt but heaven with a little butter!

No, m just said that wholemeal flour absorbs more liquid than plain and that may have made it a soggier recipe as we had 5 oz plain. But I need to work out how hot to have my oven for cakes, it's a fan one and things just seem to burn so easily, particularly biscuits.

But after the fruit loaf my m made BREAD ( swoons to floor ) 600g strong white bread flour to 400g spelt. awesome smell, we're about to eat some, homemade bread is possibly my fave food in the world.

Are you a fine baker moondog?

We enjoyed the hairy bakers the other night!

[moondog]

Oh good!
No, not really but have always been interested. I've messed about a bit with spelt which is the grain the Romans ate ibelieve.

[ipanemagirl]

apparently spelt is ridiculously full of good nutritious stuff none of which I can remember at the moment.
m said it made the dough really nice to knead. I had a go at the kneading, so satisfying, it must meet some kind of uber primitiv 'need' don't you think, forgive the pun!

[moondog]

Aye,needing v. therapeutic and great for arm toning.

Spelt v low in gluten I believe so good for peole who can't cope with that.

[ipanemagirl]

I can't stop reading cake recipes, it's sad really.