I usually make this in September and feed it every couple of weeks, up till December, with a mixture of brandy, dark rum, and sloe gin, for a really boozy cake.
You'll also need 12 small (and empty) 'half tins' of baked beans. I like to make these as gifts, covered in icing and marzipan.
Ingredients:
1kg mixed dried fruit
50g chopped glacé cherries
Brandy
Kraken rum
Sloe gin
225g plain flour (sifted)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 level teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1⁄2 level teaspoon ground mixed spice
225g dark brown soft sugar
4 large eggs
1 dessertspoon black treacle
225g butter
50g chopped almonds
zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Method:
Put the dried fruit into a bowl and add 100ml of brandy. Mix well and cover the bowl with a cloth. Leave to soak overnight. Pre-heat the oven to 140°C
Put the flour, salt, spices, sugar, eggs, treacle, and butter, into a large bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until thoroughly mixed.
Fold in the pre-soaked fruit mixture, chopped nuts and finally the grated lemon and orange zest. Grease and line the tins and spoon the mixture evenly between them.
Wrap the tins in a double layer of greaseproof paper, covering the tops of the cakes. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 60-90 minutes until they feel springy to the touch.
Leave to cool before removing from the tins and skewering all over and feeding with a small drop of rum.
Wrap in greaseproof paper and store somewhere cool and dry. Feed every 2 weeks.
If you want to decorate the cake with marzipan and icing, do this shortly before eating.