I use this for Christmas, birthdays and all special occasions – it’s a winner. Start preparing the cake the night before you want to bake it, as the dried fruits need to be soaked in brandy so that they become plump. You can vary the fruit if you like but make the total weight the same as in the recipe.
preparation time: about 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking
cooking time: 4–4½ hours
tin needed: a deep, round 23 cm (9 in) cake tin
350 g (12 oz) currants
225 g (8 oz) sultanas
225 g (8 oz) raisins
175 g (6 oz) glacé cherries, quartered, rinsed and dried
175 g (6 oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, snipped into pieces
75 g (3 oz) mixed candied peel, finely chopped
4 tablespoons brandy, plus extra to ‘feed’ the cake
275 g (10 oz) plain flour
scant ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground mixed spice
400 g (14 oz) butter, softened
400 g (14 oz) dark muscovado sugar
5 eggs
65 g (2½ oz) whole almonds, chopped (no need to remove the skins)
1 tablespoon black treacle
grated zest of 1 lemon
grated zest of 1 orange
To decorate:
whole blanched almonds
glacé cherries, halved, rinsed and dried
1 Put the currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries, apricots and chopped mixed peel into a large bowl. Stir in the brandy, cover the bowl and leave in a cool place overnight.
2 The next day, lightly grease the cake tin. Cut a strip of non-stick baking parchment to fit twice around the sides of the tin. Fold the bottom edge of the strip up by about 2.5 cm (1 in), creasing it firmly, then open out the fold and cut slanting lines into this narrow strip at intervals. Put a circle of non-stick baking parchment into the base of the tin, lightly grease the outer edge and then fit the prepared strip of parchment with the snipped edge in the base of the tin to line the sides. Place a second circle of non-stick baking parchment in the tin to cover the cut part of the paper.
3 Pre-heat the oven to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1. Measure the flour, grated nutmeg, mixed spice, butter, sugar, eggs, chopped almonds, black treacle and grated lemon and orange zest into a large bowl and beat well to mix thoroughly; an electric mixer is best for this but of course you can also beat by hand with a wooden spoon. Fold in the soaked fruits.
4 Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread out evenly with the back of the spoon. Decorate the top with blanched almonds and halved glacé cherries, pushing them lightly into the top of the cake mixture. Cover the top of the cake loosely with a double layer of greaseproof paper and bake for 4–4½ hours, until the cake feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin.
5 When the cake is almost cold, remove it from the tin and peel off the lining paper. Pierce the base at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little brandy. Once the cake is completely cold, wrap it in a double layer of greaseproof paper and then in foil. Store in a cool place for up to 3 months, feeding at intervals with more brandy.
