Make this Christmas cake a couple of months in advance, if you can, and feed it with rum to give it time to mature and develop deep flavour and texture
Prep:25 mins
Serves 10 – 12
1kg mixed dried fruit or mixed dried fruit with mixed peel (we used a mixture of raisins, sultanas and currants)150ml spiced rum, plus extra for feeding250g butter200g dark muscovado sugar1 orange, zested and juiced1 lemon, zested and juiced175g plain flour125g ground almonds½ tsp baking powder2 tsp mixed spice1 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp ground ginger5 balls of stem ginger, chopped5 medium eggs1 tsp vanilla extract
STEP 1Put the mixed dried fruit in a large pan with the rum, butter, sugar and citrus zest and juice. Set the pan over a medium heat, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and heat until the butter has melted. Leave to cool for 30 mins.STEP 2Meanwhile, heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside and secure with string.STEP 3Tip the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Add the cooled fruit mix along with the syrupy liquid in the pan, then the stem ginger, eggs and vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon until there are no pockets of flour.STEP 4Tip the mix into the tin, level the top with a spatula and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 2 hrs until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven, poke holes into the top with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp rum. Leave to cool completely in the tin.STEP 5Once cool, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap in fresh parchment and store in an airtight cake tin. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp rum every fortnight, or up to four times until you ice it. Don’t feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing. Once iced, the cake will keep in a tin for four weeks. The uniced cake will keep in the freezer for six months.
