FESTIVE FRUIT & NUT CAKE

Festive fruit & nut cake image

This fabulously moist and nutty Christmas cake is baked with a syrup and nut topping - a bit like a Florentine biscuit

Provided by Sara Buenfeld

Time 2h40m

Yield Cuts into 12-16 slices

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

250g butter , at room temperature
140g light muscovado sugar
6 large eggs , beaten
280g plain flour
85g ground almond
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
700g luxury mixed fruit (including raisins, currants, sultanas, mixed peel and glace cherries)
3 tbsp dark rum
140g white marzipan , diced
50g each whole skinned hazelnut and blanched almonds
85g each Brazil nuts and flaked almonds
140g whole glacé cherries
100g golden syrup
1 metre of wide ribbon

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C and lightly grease and line the base and sides of a deep 22-23cm round loose-based cake tin with Bake-o-Glide or baking parchment (see overleaf). Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, ground almonds and spices until thoroughly mixed and creamy, preferably with an electric beater or in a food mixer.
Measure off 100g/4oz of the cake mixture, put in a bowl and set aside. Fold the fruit and rum into the remaining mixture, then gently stir in the marzipan. Spoon this mixture into the prepared cake tin and flatten with a spatula to make a smooth even surface, then make a slight dip in the centre of the cake. This simple trick will give the finished cake a nice flat top. Bake for 11⁄4 hours.
While the cake is in the oven, make the fruit and nut topping. Mix all the nuts, cherries and syrup into the remaining cake mixture (see tip overleaf). Spoon the mixture on top of the part-cooked cake (once it has had its 11⁄4 hours), evenly distributing the mixture of nuts and cherries across the surface of the cake. Loosely cover the top of the tin with foil.
Return to the oven for 40 minutes more, then take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, so the nuts can turn golden. Keep an eye on them, so they don't get too dark. To test the cake mixture is cooked, insert a fine skewer into the cake - if it comes out clean then it's ready. Cool in the tin then turn out, keeping the lining on, and wrap with foil. (The cake will keep for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
To serve, remove the cake from the foil and strip away the lining. Place on a board or serving plate and tie with a decorative ribbon.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 780 calories, Fat 40 grams fat, SaturatedFat 14 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 95 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 28 grams sugar, Fiber 4 grams fiber, Protein 14 grams protein, Sodium 0.67 milligram of sodium