Anna’s Christmas Cake

Ingredients

• 225g/8 ozs. sultanas
• 225g/8 ozs. currants
• 175g/6 ozs. raisins
• 100g/4 ozs. snipped ready-to-eat dried apricots
• 60g/2 ozs. glace cherries
• 60g/2 ozs. ready-to-eat snipped prunes
• 3 tablespoons best quality brandy or cognac
• 200g/7 ozs. slightly salted butter
• 200g/7 ozs. soft dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black treacle
• ½ tablespoon runny honey
• 50g/2 ozs. ground almonds
• 50g/2 ozs. flaked toasted almonds
• 175g/6 ozs. plain flour sifted with the 3 following spices:
  ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon mixed spice & ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  4 medium free range eggs, lightly beaten

Optional additions:

Finely grated rind of half a lemon
Finely grated rind of half an orange

Method

1. Prepare the fruit and stir in the brandy. Cover bowl with cling film & leave to soak for 24 hours – or up to 3 days in the fridge (if chilled bring to room temperature before using)
2. Cream the butter & sugar well
3. Add the black treacle & honey & mix in
4. Add the eggs gradually, alternating with spoonfuls of the sifted flour
5. Mix in the remaining flour & ground almonds
6. Tip the fruit and nuts into the mixing bowl & stir everything in thoroughly
7. Put the mixture into the prepared tin

Bake in Simmering Oven of the 2, 3 or 4 oven Aga

Put the cake on the grid shelf resting on the floor of the Simmering oven for approximately 6-8 hours (test with cake needle) to make sure it is cooked.
When the cake is baked, remove it from the oven, and stand the hot tin on a cooling rack, and don’t attempt to remove it from the baking tin until the cake is completely cold. Store, wrapped in greaseproof paper, and over wrapped with aluminium foil until it is time to marzipan and ice it.