Makes a 20cm cake

• 225g Sultanas
• 225g currants
• 225g raisins
• 115g chopped prunes
• 50g glace cherries, halved
• 100ml brandy or sherry
• ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­—————————-
• 225g plain flour
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 225g butter
• 225g dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 orange, finely grated
• 50g chopped almonds
• 50g ground almonds

The day before baking, in a large bowl, soak all the dried fruit in the brandy or sherry, cover and leave overnight.

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.
2. Beat together, the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. One by one, beat in the eggs.
3. Mix in the orange rind and ground and chopped almonds. Tip all the soaked fruit and juices in a mix well.
4. Finally, stir in the flour, spices and cocoa powder.
5. Spoon into the cake tin and level the top. Bake for 3 hours or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool in the tin for an hour.
7. Turn the cake out of the tin, but leave the paper on to keep it moist. When cold, wrap in foil and store until Christmas.
8. Once, between now and Christmas, open the foil, skewer several holes in the cake and pour a little sherry or brandy on top to run into the small holes. Then wrap back up and store.

This is a foolproof recipe that I have been using for about three years now and I double the recipe so that Mum gets one too.