Traditional Christmas Cake

This cake recipe has plenty of delicious dried fruit, pecans and just a hint of dark chocolate. Make it early so that you can “feed” it brandy often before Christmas day arrives!

What you need:

Makes 1 x 20cm round cake

•  1¼ cups sultanas
• 1 cup currants
• 1 1/3 cups raisins, chopped
• 1 ¼ cups prunes, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup glace red cherries, chopped
• 1 cup brandy, 2 tablespoons extra
• 180g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 100g pecans, chopped
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• Finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
• 1¼ cups plain flour
• ½ cup self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

What to do:

1. Add the fruit and brandy to a large bowl and stir to combine.
2.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand overnight.
3. Butter a deep 20cm round cake tin and line with two layers of baking paper (use a little butter between layers to help keep them stuck together).
4. Preheat oven to 160C.
5. In an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.
6.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each egg.
7. Stir the fruit mixture, walnuts, chocolate, orange rind and juice.
8. Sift the flours and spices over the fruit mixture and stir until well combined.
9. Spoon the cake mix into the tin and smooth the top.
10. Bake for 2½-3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
11. Leave cake in the tin, drizzle with extra brandy and wrap in a clean tea towel to cool slowly overnight.
12. Remove from tin, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminium foil and store in an airtight container until you are ready to ice it!

Cover with white icing (ready made or make your own)and decorate with small Christmas ornaments (available from most cake stores or supermarkets)