Serves: 20
Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: overnight preparation of fruit, 2 hours in oven
Cost: less than £1 per slice
Ingredients
- 500g mixed fruit
- 60g glace cherries
- 85ml brandy or cold tea
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 175g butter
- 175g dark brown sugar
- 1tbsp black treacle
- 175g self-raising flour
- 3 eggs
- 1tbsp mixed spice
- Grease proof paper
Optional decoration:
- Clear apricot jam
- 400g ready to roll marzipan
- 400g ready to roll icing
This recipe uses a 20cm cake tin. Top tip- use a tin with a loose base to make it easier to get the cake out.
Method
- Use a fine grater to zest the orange and lemon.
- Juice the lemon and orange then add the juice and zest to a large bowl.
- Add the mixed fruit, cherries, brandy or tea and cling film and leave overnight, or longer if preferred.
- Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees or Gas mark 3.
- Grease the sides and bottom of tin with butter. (Optional- cut out grease proof paper and line the sides and bottom of tin)
- Whisk butter, sugar and treacle until pale and fluffy with no lumps.
- Gradually add the eggs and mix.
- Gradually add the flour, spice and sugar and fold gently until all ingredients are mixed together.
- Bake for two hours or until golden brown. Use a metal stick to check the cake is cooked by inserting and if it comes out clean, the cake is baked.
- When cooled, wrap in tin foil for up to two months
- Feed the cake with either brandy or tea regularly to keep it moist.
Optional decoration
- Spread a thin layer of apricot jam over the cake
- Roll out the marzipan and lay over the cake. Leave for a week to set.
- Spread a layer thin layer of apricot jam over the marzipan. Roll out the icing and lay over the jam.