MY LIGHT CHRISTMAS CAKE

This is Christmas cake for people who don’t like solid, dark, fruit cake and it can be made ahead and stored, un-iced, wrapped in parchment and in a tin or an airtight container.

Serves 10-12

● 280g (10oz) each dried pineapple and dried apricots, chopped

● 280g (10oz) mixed peel, chopped

● 225g (8oz) glacé cherries, halved

● 225g (8oz) flaked almonds

● 2tsp ground ginger

● 1tsp mixed spice

● Grated rind and juice of 1 orange and 3 lemons

● 4tbsp Drambuie

● 340g (12oz) plain flour

● 1½tsp baking powder

● 225g (8oz) butter

● 225g (8oz) caster sugar

● 5 large eggs

● Apricot jam, marzipan and fondant icing, to cover

In a big bowl, soak the fruit, nuts and spices in the juice (plus rind) and Drambuie for a few hours or overnight. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/gas 2.

Line the base and sides of a 25cm round cake tin with baking parchment. Wrap the sides of the cake tin on the outside with a long strip of folded newspaper and tie it around with string – this is to prevent the cake edges getting overcooked before the middle is done. Then stand the tin on a baking tray lined with more newspaper.

With an electric whisk or in a food processor, cream the butter and sugar till light and soft. Add the eggs, beating in one at a time, with a dessertspoon of the flour between each addition. Stir the egg mix into the soaked fruit and mix well. Fold in the rest of the flour. Tip into the tin, and smooth the top flat.

Put folded newspaper lightly over the cake and bake in the centre of a non-fan oven for 2¾3¼ hours, or for 30 minutes less in a fan oven (I use a non-fan oven, as the fan tends to blow the newspaper off). After 2½ hours, test with a skewer. If it comes out clean the cake is done. If not, test every 15-20 minutes. Let it cool to lukewarm then turn out on a wire rack and store until needed.

To serve, paint the cake with melted apricot jam, then cover with marzipan, then with fondant icing and decorate as you wish.