Classic Christmas Cake

Directions

1. 1
   Place all the dried fruit in a large mixing bowl.
2. 2
   Pour over the Brandy and stir in the orange zest.
3. 3
   Soak overnight.
4. 4
   Preheat the oven to 140C.
5. 5
   Grease and double 23 cm line tin.
6. 6
   Beat butter, sugar, eggs, treacle & almonds.
7. 7
   Add flour and ground spice, stir in the soaked fruit.
8. 8
   Spoon into prepared cake tin and level.
9. 9
   Bake for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, if after 2 hours it is a rich, golden, brown colour, cover with foil.
10. 10
    Once a scewer comes out clean, remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin.
11. 11
    When cool, pierce the cake with fine holes and pour over brandy.
12. 12
    Remove for tin and wrap in double layer wax paper and store.
13. 13
    Week dousing with a cap full brandy.
14. 14
    Or spoon into 10x5cm bun pans and bake for 1h40min
15. 15
    1 week before the cake is needed, cover the cake.
16. 16
    Stand the cake upside down, flat side uppermost.
17. 17
    Brush the sides and the top of the cake with the warm apricot jam.
18. 18
    Liberally dust a work surface with icing supar and then roll out the marzipan to about 5cm larger than the surface of the cake.
19. 19
    Keep moving the marzipan as you roll, checking that it is nnot sticking to the work surface.
20. 20
    Dust the work surface with more icing sugar as necessary.
21. 21
    Carefully lift the marzipnn over the cake using a rolling pin.
22. 22
    Smoothe it down.
23. 23
    For the royal icing whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they become frothy.
24. 24
    Mix in the sifted icing sugar a tbl full at a time.
25. 25
    Stir in the lemon juice and glycerine and beat the icing until it is very stiff and white and stands up in peaks.
26. 26
    Cover the surface of the icing tightly with clingfilm and keep in a cool place until needed,
27. 27
    To ice the cake, place all the icing onto the top of the cake.
28. 28
    Spread evenly over the top and sides of the cake with a palette knife.
29. 29
    For a snow-peak effect, use a smaller palette knife to rough up the icing.
30. 30
    Leave the cake loosely covered overnight for the icing to harden a little, then wrap or store in an airtight container ina cool place until needed,