Baked Fruitcake

Ive entered this cake into many competitions and it has always won first place, its adapted from a 1950's copy of Good Housekeeping.

• Ready In: 76 hrs
• Serves: 14
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 250  g plain flour
• 250  g butter
• 250  g  soft dark brown sugar
• 4  large eggs
• 1  kg  mixed dried fruit (With and Glace Cherries Peel)
• 50  g  glace cherries
• 1  teaspoon allspice
• 1  teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 cup sweet vermouth or 1⁄2 cup rum or 1⁄2 cup  scotch
• 1⁄4 cup brandy
• 1⁄4 cup sherry wine
• 1⁄4 cup port wine

Directions

1. Soak the fruit (Excluding the extra cherries) in the Alcohol in the fridge for 3 days and stir twice a day, You can substitute any of the liquors for any others you like as long as their fruity.
2. Beat the Butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric beaters until the the mix is pale, light and fluffy and has almost doubled in volume.
3. Break the eggs into a cup then add them in to the butter mix 1 tbsp at a time otherwise the mix will curdle, Dont worry if the mix curdles, just keep stiring and eventually it will stop curdling.
4. Sift together the flour and spices then alternate between folding in 1 cup of flour, then 1 cup of fruit mix stirring after each addition until its all gone.
5. Line a 20cm (8inch) round cake tin with baking paper and pour in the mixture, knocking it a few times to release any air bubbles and flatten the top. Using the extra cherries make a pattern on top of the cake.
6. Place the cake tin on a newspaper lined baking tray (To stop the base from burning) then put it in the centre of a pre heated oven at 150C and bake for 3 and ¾ hours, If the cake starts to brown to quickly reduce to 130C and place baking paper over the top of the tin.
7. For best flavor wrap the cake in baking paper and store it in a air tight container for 3 months to let the taste mature.