Mary's Christmas Cake

Ingredients

• 175g (6 oz) raisins
• 350g (12 oz) glace cherries, rinsed, thoroughly dried and quartered
• 500g (1lb 2 oz) currants
• 350g (12 oz) sultanas
• 150ml (¼ pint) sherry, plus extra for feeding
• Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• 250g (9 oz) butter, softened
• 250g (9 oz) light muscovado sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 75g (3 oz) blanched almonds, chopped
• 75g (3 oz) self-raising flour
• 175g (6 oz) plain flour
• 1½ tsp mixed spice

To finish and decorate:

• About 3 tbsp apricot jam, sieved and warmed
• Icing sugar
• 675g shop-bought almond paste
• Packet royal icing mix to cover 23cm/9in cake

Instructions

1. 1
   Put all the dried fruit in a container, pour over the sherry and stir in the orange zest. Cover with a lid, and leave to soak for 3 days, stirring daily.
2. 2
   Grease and line a 23cm (9in) deep round tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 285F.
3. 3
   Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle and almonds into a very large bowl and beat well. Add the flours and mixed spice and mix thoroughly until blended. Stir in the soaked fruit. Spoon into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
4. 4
   Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 4-4½ hours or until the cake feels firm to the touch and is a rich golden brown. Check after 2 hours, and, if the cake is a perfect color, cover with foil. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
5. 5
   When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little extra sherry. Wrap the completely cold cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil and store in a cool place for up to 3 months, feeding at intervals with more sherry. (Don't remove the lining paper when storing as this helps to keep the cake moist.)
6. 6
   Decorate with almond paste and royal icing.
7. 7
   To prepare the cake ahead: Prepare the fruit and soak in sherry 3 days ahead - this is essential to plump up and flavor the fruit. Make the cake and wrap as in stage 4. Store in a cool place for up to 3 months, following stage 4. You could also freeze the cake before decorating, for up to 3 months; defrost at room temperature.