Christmas Cake

Ingredients

• 200 gbutter, softened
• 200 gmuscovado sugar
• 200 gall-purpose flour
• 4eggs, beaten
• 50 gground almonds
• 100 mlsherry, alcohol fully cooked off during 2+ hour bake
• 85 gcandied peel
• 85 gglacé cherry, halved
• 250 graisins
• 250 gcurrants
• 100 gpecan nuts
• 1lemon, zest only, grated
• 1 1/2 tbspmixed spice
• 1 1/2 tbsprose water
• 1/2 tspvanilla extract
• 1/2 tspbaking powder

Method

1. 1

   Heat oven to 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas 3. Line the base and sides of a 20cm round, 7.5cm deep cake tin.

2. 2

   Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 1–2 minutes until very creamy and pale, scraping down the sides halfway through.

3. 3

   Stir in a spoonful of flour, then add the beaten eggs and remaining flour alternately in four additions, beating well each time. Stir in the ground almonds.

4. 4

   Mix in the sherry — the mixture will look curdled but this is normal. Add the candied peel, glacé cherries, raisins, currants, pecans, lemon zest, mixed spice, rose water and vanilla. Beat to combine, then stir in the baking powder.

5. 5

   Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smooth the top and make a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 minutes.

6. 6

   Lower the temperature to 150°C / 130°C fan / Gas 2 and bake for a further 2–2¼ hours until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7. 7

   Leave to cool completely in the tin, then remove and peel off the lining paper. Wrap tightly in cling film and foil. The cake keeps for several months.