Get ahead with this classic, basic Christmas cake. Make it several months in advance, and it will keep until you are ready to decorate.
225g/8oz butter, softened to room temperature
225g/8oz dark muscovado sugar
225g/8oz plain flour
4 eggs, beaten
50g/2oz ground almonds
100ml/3½fl oz sweet or dry sherry
85g/3oz candied peel, roughly chopped
85g/3oz glacé cherries, roughly chopped
250g/9oz raisins
250g/9oz currants
100g/14oz pecans, in pieces
finely grated zest 1 lemon
1½ tsp mixed spice
1½ tsp rosewater
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
Takes 3¼–3½ hours • Cuts into 16 slices
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas 3/fan oven 140°C. Completely line a deep 20cm round cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar until very creamy. Stir in a spoonful of flour, then the beaten eggs and remaining flour alternately, a quarter at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon. Stir in the almonds.
2 Mix in the sherry; add the peel, cherries, raisins, currants, nuts, zest, spice, rosewater and vanilla. Stir in the baking powder.
3 Spoon into the tin, smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 minutes. Lower temperature to 150°C/Gas 2/fan oven 130°C and bake for another 2–2¼ hours, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in tin, remove and discard lining paper. When cold, wrap well in cling film and foil and store.
• Per slice 427 kcals, protein 7g, carbohydrate 53g, fat 22g, saturated fat 8g, fibre 2g, added sugar 17g, salt 0.42g