Easy Christmas Cake

Make the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C (285°F). Mist a 20cm (8inch) deep cake tin with cake release or grease with butter. Line the bottom and sides with a double layer of baking paper (don’t skip this step).
2. Chop the apricots and dates into small raisin-size pieces. Add the brandy (or your choice of alcohol) and heat in the microwave for 60 seconds to plump up the fruit. Set aside.
3. Add the flour and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl and briefly stir together to combine. Now add the eggs and butter and beat together with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) until you have a smooth batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway.
4. Add the mincemeat and beat in on a low speed setting. Fold the soaked dried fruit and glacé cherries into the batter with a spatula.
5. Spoon the batter to the prepared tin and level. Make a small indent in the centre of the cake to help it bake evenly.
6. Bake for 4 – 4 ½ hours, until the cake is risen, golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check the cake at the 3 hour mark and tent with foil if it is getting too dark. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.
7. Use a skewer to poke holes over the cake. Feed the cake with the brandy and wait until the alcohol soaks into the cake.
8. Leave the cake in the tin, well wrapped in the baking paper and a layer of foil. Keep in a cool place, feeding the cake with your choice of alcohol every fortnight if time allows.

Make the Royal Icing

1. Traditional Christmas cake is usually covered with a layer of marzipan and royal icing. I prefer to only cover the top of the cake as I find the traditional toppings far too sweet. Ice the cake 2-3 days before serving.
2. Beat the egg whites until frothy then gradually add the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time mixing on low speed.
3. Add the lemon juice and glycerine and beat on high speed setting until the icing until it holds firm peaks. Cover the surface of the icing with plastic wrap to keep from drying out unless you are using straight away.

Decorate the cake

1. Dust your worktop liberally with icing sugar and soften the marzipan in your hands. Roll out the marzipan (slightly larger than 20cm/8inch) and then cut a circle the size of your cake using the cake tin as a guide.
2. Carefully flip the cake over so that you are using the flat underside. Brush the cake with warm sieved apricot jam and use small pieces of the marzipan to fill any small holes on the cake surface.
3. Position the marzipan circle over the cake and press down so that it sticks. Smooth the top and sides and leave it to dry for a few hours or overnight.
4. Spoon the Royal Icing over the cake and spread using an offset spatula. Leave to dry so that it hardens and decorate with frosted cranberries, rosemary sprigs or iced gingerbread cookies.