A Fruity Affair Christmas Cake

Ingredients
# 200g butter

# 200g soft brown sugar

# 4 eggs

# 1 tsp vanilla essence

# 100g self-raising flour

# 200g flour

# 1 tsp ground mixed spice

# 175g sultanas

# 250g black raisins

# 50g mixed peel

# 50g dried apricots — coarsely chopped

# 50g crystalised ginger — coarsely chopped

# 3 tbsp Cointreau


Topping:
# Apricot gel

# 5 pecan nuts or walnuts — toasted


Apricot gel glaze:
# 225g apricot jam

# 55ml water

# 1 3/4 tsp lemon juice

Method
Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of greaseproof paper.

Sift the flours with the mixed spice. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and adding a little flour if the mixture shows signs of curdling.

Beat in the essence. Fold in the sifted flours in batches, alternating it with a tablespoon of cointreau each time.

Mix fruits in a mixing bowl and add in one to two tablespoons flour. Stir fruits into the creamed mixture.

Spoon the mixture into prepared cake tin and smooth the surface with a spatula.

Knock tin lightly on a flat surface to break up any air bubbles.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160 ºC for an hour, lower the temperature to 150 ºC and continue to bake for another hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean and dry.

Cool cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

To make topping: Brush apricot gel over cake. Arrange the pecan nuts in the centre of cake and brush with more gel to give the cake a beautiful sheen. Allow cake to dry before dusting with icing sugar.

To make Apricot gel glaze: Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir well until it is thoroughly blended and mixture is smooth. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes then force the mixture through a fine wire sieve. Brush the warm glaze over the cake.

You can keep the rest of the glaze in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will last for a fortnight