Cake On Me

So, the vote says make a Christmas cake, and here it is! I don't much like candied peel so I've left it out and used ginger instead and I'll be feeding it with Courvoisier until it's time to it ice it.

Makes 1 family-sized cake
250g sultanas
250g raisins
250g currants
100g glace cherries, halved
100g chopped glace ginger
4 tablespoons brandy, plus extra for dowsing
250g salted butter, room temperature
250g light muscovado sugar
250g plain flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
5 eggs, room temperature
100g pecans, each snapped into 4 - 6 pieces
grated rind of 1 lemon and 1 orange

23cm round tin or 18cm square tin, greased and lined

1 Place the fruit and ginger in a bowl and stir in the brandy. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside for 3 – 12 hours.

2 Preheat the oven to 140C / Gas 1. Whisk the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift over the flour and spices from up high to get some air in then carefully fold into the mixture. Finally, stir in the fruit mixture, nuts and rind.

3 Spoon into tin and level out the surface. Cover with a sheet of buttered baking paper and bake for 4 ½ hours. Leave to cool in the tin for 1 hour then take out of the tin and transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

4 Pierce the cake with a bamboo skewer in lots of places then wrap in baking paper and then foil. Drip a tablespoon of brandy over the surface once or twice a week until you’re ready to ice the cake. Keep it in an air-tight container.