Festive Christmas Fruitcake With Nuts

From the latest December issue of the Good Food magazine! This cake was featured on the cover and although the process appears difficult, it is actually quite easy but just takes a bit of time. All the labour is worth it! Share this beautifully rustic cake with your loved ones at home and even your friends this Christmas!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 35 mins
• Serves: 14
• Yields: 14 slices

Ingredients

• For the Cake

• 1  cup butter, at room temp
• 5  ounces light muscovado sugar
• 6  large  beaten eggs
• 1 1⁄4 cups plain flour
• 3  ounces  ground almonds
• 2  teaspoons ground ginger
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 700  g  luxury  mixed fruit (including raisins, currants, sultanas, mixed peel and glace cherries)
• 3  tablespoons dark rum
• 5  ounces  diced white marzipan

• Topping

• 2  ounces  whole skinned hazelnuts
• 2  ounces  blanched almonds
• 3  ounces brazil nuts
• 3  ounces  sliced almonds
• 5  ounces  whole  glace cherries
• 1⁄2 cup golden syrup or 1⁄2 cup corn syrup

• To decorate

• 1  meter of wide  ribbon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C or 350F and light grease and line the base and sides of a deep 22-23 cm round loose-based cake pan with baking parchment paper.
2. Beat butter, sugar, egss, flour, ground almonds and spices until thoroughly mixed and creamy, preferably with an electric beater or in a food mixer.
3. Measure 1/2 cup of the cake batter, put into a bowl and set aside.
4. Fold in the fruit and rum into the remaining mixture, then gently stir in the marzipan.
5. Spoon this into the prepared cake pan and smoothen out with a spatula.
6. Then make a slight dip in the center of the cake.
7. This will give the finished cake a nice flat top.
8. Bake for 1 1/4 hours.
9. Meanwhile, make the fruit and nut topping.
10. Mix all the nuts, cherries and syrup into the remaining cake mixture.
11. Spoon the mixture on top of the part-cooked cake (once it has had its 1 1/4 hours), evenly distributing the mixture of nuts and cherries across the surface of the cake.
12. Loosely cover the top of the pan with foil.
13. Return to the oven for 40 minutes, then take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, so the nuts can turn golden.
14. Keep an eye on them, so they don't get too dark or burn.
15. To test the cake, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then it's ready.
16. Cool in the pan and then turn out, keeping the lining on, and wrap with foil.
17. (The cake will keep up to 2 weeks or can be frozen up to 2 months.) To serve, remove the cake from the foil and strip away the lining.
18. Place on a board or serving plate and tie with a decorative ribbon.