Jewelled Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

175g glazed pineapple
175g mixed glacé cherries red, green and yellow), halved
125g dried apricots, chopped
50g candied peel or citron peel, chopped
125g sultanas
25g crystallized ginger, chopped
6 tbsp dark rum
225g butter
225g golden caster sugar
4 eggs, beaten
225g self-raising flour
75g Brazil nuts, chopped
100g ground almonds

For the Decoration:
apricot jam, warmed and sieved
mixed nuts
glacé cherries
stem ginger
candied citrus peel
ribbon to tie around the cake

Method:

Combine the fruit and ginger for the cake in a bowl. Add the rum, cover and set aside to soak over night.

Before you start the batter, prepare the tin. Take a 20cm diameter cake tin and lightly oil the inside of the tin. Cut a strip of greaseproof (waxed) paper about 3cm longer than the outside of the tin and 5cm taller than the tin. make a fold about 2cm wide in the long side of the paper. Take a pair of sharp scissors and make diagonal cuts all the way along the folded edge, with the cuts about 2cm apart.

Now fit the paper inside the tin with the cut edge along the base. Place the tin on a double sheet of baking parchment and draw around the base of the tin. Cut out two circles of paper and fit these snugly into the base of the tin.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition. Sift over the flour and carefully fold into the creamed mixture.

Now mix in the dried fruit (and their soaking liquid) along with the nuts and ground almonds. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin, ensuring that your press the mixture into the corners and level the surface (to do this, dip a spoon in hot water then use the back of the spoon to level the surface of the cake).

Take some thick brown paper or newspaper and fold to the height of the tin. Fold this around the tin and tie securely in place. Now transfer the cake to an oven pre-heated to 150°C (Gas Mark 2) and bake for about 120 to 135 minutes, or until the top of the cake in golden brown and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake emerges cleanly.

Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool completely in the tin. When completely cold, take the cake out of the tin and peel off the baking parchment.

This Christmas cake needs to be matured for at least 3 weeks before use (it will keep for up to 4 weeks before decorating and serving). To do this, cover the cake completely in a double layer of kitchen foil and store in an air-tight tin.

To decorate, brush the top of the cake with the sieved apricot jam. Arrange your choice of fruit and nuts on top (arrange them in an attractive pattern) then use more jam to glaze the surface of the fruit.

Tie a ribbon around the cake and serve.

Find more classic Christmas Recipes Here.