Instructions

• Prepare dried fruit:
• 01 First clean all fruit by washing well in plenty of cold water; place in either a large bowl or colander and run under plenty of cold water. Chop apricots and prunes into small bit size pieces (use a food processor if in a hurry!) Place in a large bowl and add whiskey or citrus juice. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave in a cool place for 24 hours.
• Before baking prepare cake tin:
• 02 Use a 20cm round or square cake tin, lined with double layers of non stick baking paper, including an extra round circle or square for the top, which has a small hole cut out at the centre the size of your thumb.
• Make cake:
• 03 Beat softened butter and sugar together until thick and creamy. Add eggs 1 tbsp at a time and beat well into the creamed butter mixture. Now add in alternative amounts stir in the soaked dried fruits, nuts, sieved flour and spices. Add zest of orange and lemon and mix well.
• Assemble cake:
• 04 Place the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin. Smooth the top, allowing a slight indentation in the middle, decorate with a few whole blanched almonds, and gently cover with the baking paper top, aligning the cut piece to sit centre.
• Cook:
• 05 Bake cake slowly on the lower shelf of your oven and after 4-4½ hours check cooked by placing a skewer into the middle of the cake. If cooked the skewer will come out clean, and if not, put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so and check again. When cake is ready, remove from the oven and cover with a clean tea-towel and leave to cool in the tin.
• Storing:
• 06 When cold remove from tin, keeping original lining, wrap well in extra non-stick paper and several thick layers of newspaper. Store in a cool, dark place until required. Cake will keep a couple of weeks like this.
• Decorate:
• 07 Unwrap cake and place on a decorative cake board. Tie with an attractive ribbon and bow or add a decoration of your choice.