Jo Pratt's Fruity Christmas Cake

Make your Christmas cake and pudding nice and early and it'll take some of the stress out of the festive season. What's more, they'll taste better too!

1. 1

   For the cake:
   
   1.  Place all the dried fruits in a large bowl and stir in the 75ml of brandy, orange juice and zest. Cover and leave in a cool place overnight. 
   2.  The next day, line the base and sides of a greased 25cm round or square cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment so it comes about 5cm above the tin. Put a double layer around the outside of the tin and, rather than struggling with a piece of string, hold it in place with a couple of staples or paper clips. Doing this prevents the cake from overcooking around the outside during the long cooking time. 
   3.  Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 2. Sift together the flour, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. 
   4.  In a large bowl or electric mixer, whisk together the butter, sugar and treacle until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding 1tbsp of the flour with each egg. Mix in the almonds and soaked fruits, then mix in the remaining flour.
   5.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, making sure there are no air pockets, and spread evenly across the top. Place the tin in the oven, sitting on several pieces of brown paper or newspaper - this will also help prevent the outside of the cake from overcooking. 
   6.  After 2 1/2 hours, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is cooked, if not, carry on cooking, testing every 10 minutes. During the cooking time, if the top seems to getting too dark, cover with a piece of baking parchment or foil. 
   7.  When cooked, leave the cake in the tin to cool for about 1 hour and then turn out on to a wire rack. When the cake is completely cold, make several deep holes with a skewer and pour over a couple of tablespoons of brandy. This will absorb into the cake, giving a richer, moister finish as it matures. 
   8.  Wrap the cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper or foil and store in a tin. Repeat moistening with brandy at regular intervals before Christmas.
   
   For the marzipan layer:
   
   Warm the jam and then brush it over the cake. Knead the marzipan to make it pliable, and then roll out on a surface dusted with icing sugar to 5mm thick. Drape over the cake and smooth down, trimming any excess, tucking the edges underneath the cake. Leave to dry out for a few days before putting any icing on top.
   
   For smooth icing:
   
   Roll out the icing on a surface dusted with icing sugar, to about 5mm thick. Brush the top of the marzipan with warm water and then drape the icing over the top, smoothing it out as much as possible. Trim any excess and tuck the edges underneath the cake for a neat finish. Any excess icing can be re-rolled to cut out shapes for decoration. Store in a cool, dark place until needed. 
   
   For rough icing:
   
   Make up the icing according to the packet instructions and then whisk until it holds its shape. Spoon on top of the cake and, using a palette knife, spread over the top and sides of the cake, lifting the knife to form as many peaks as you wish. Add any decorations and leave to dry for a few hours, before storing in a cool place until needed.