Classic Christmas cake
Ingredients
Fruit mixture
- 1kg mixed dried fruit
- 1 orange (zest and juice)
- 1 lemon (zest and juice)
- 150ml brandy or other alcohol (plus extra for feeding)
- 250g butter (softened)
- 200g light soft brown sugar
- 175g plain flour
- 100g ground almonds
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 100g flaked almonds
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1
Prepare fruit mixture - Put mixed dried fruit, orange and lemon zest and juice, brandy, butter and sugar in a pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins. Leave to cool for 30 mins.
- 2
Prepare tin - 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.
- 3
Combine ingredients - Add flour, ground almonds, baking powder, mixed spice, cinnamon, cloves, flaked almonds, eggs and vanilla extract to the fruit mixture. Stir well.
- 4
Bake - Tip into the prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for around 2 hrs. After 2 hrs insert a skewer into the centre of the cake to test if it's done. If any wet cake mixture clings to the skewer, return the cake to the oven for another 10 mins then check again and keep cooking, checking every 10 mins until the skewer comes out dry.
- 5
Cool and feed - 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.
- 6
Store and feed - To store, peel off the baking parchment, and store in a cake tin. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it.
- 7
Prepare for icing - Don't feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.
