Classic Christmas Cake

Packed full of rich fruit, nuts and flavour, this classic Christmas cake recipe is quick and easy to bake.

Serves 16-20
Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus cooling
Bake time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
You will also need: a 20cm springform cake tin, base and sides greased and double-lined with baking parchment.

Ingredients

150g Plain flour
50g Self-raising flour
1tsp Mixed spice
1tsp Ground cinnamon
½tsp Ginger
½tsp Ground cloves
½tsp Freshly grated nutmeg
100g Ground almonds
4 Medium eggs, lightly beaten

For the nut and dried fruit mixture:

100g Mixed nuts, roughly chopped
200g Raisins
200g Billington’s Natural glace cherries, halved
100g Glace ginger
100g Ready-to-eat stoned dates, roughly chopped
100g Cut mixed peel
150ml Apple juice
175g Unsalted butter
200g Billington’s Unrefined Dark Muscovado Sugar
2tbsp Black treacle
Billington’s Golden Icing Sugar, for decoration

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 150°C or gas mark 2. For the nut and dried fruit mixture, put all the ingredients into a large pan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves and butter has melted. Bring up to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Into a large bowl, add the flours, spices and ground almonds, then stir in the eggs, followed by the nut and fruit mixture. Pour into the prepared tin and level out with a spoon.
• Bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until the top is both golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted through the centre (if necessary, cook for a further 10-15 minutes) springy to the touch. Transfer on to a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the tin. Once cool, remove the cake from the tin and place on to a large plate or stand (or wrap in baking paper, followed by a layer of foil and store for up to three days until ready to serve)
• To decorate, use a star-shaped stencil or similar placed in the centre of the top of the cake, and dust with icing sugar.