Christmas Cake

First, I feel the need to say sorry for bringing christmas to you door step so early, but if you want a nice moist mature cake you need to prepare this fruit cake in advance and feed it regularly with rum, brandy or whisky to build the flavour and keep it moist. You could also make an extra one and gift away as a present.

CUTS INTO 12-15 SLICES

PREP: 25 MINS COOK: 2 HRS, 10 MINS plus cooling

Ingredients

1kg mixed dried fruit (use a mix of raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, cranberries, prunes or figs)

zest and juice 1 orange

zest and juice 1 lemon

150ml brandy, Sherry, whisky or rum, plus extra for feeding

250g pack butter, softened

200g light soft brown sugar

175g plain flour

100g ground almond

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

100g flaked almond

4 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Put the dried fruit, zests and juice, alcohol, butter and sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.

Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside – tie with string to secure.

Add the remaining ingredients to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour. Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.

Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.

To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in parchment paper and then tin foil some people use cling film your choice. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it. Don’t feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.