Christmas cake

Prepare

1. 🥄Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas
2. 🔥Line the base and sides of a 20 cm round, 7.5 cm deep cake tin.
3. 🧂Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 mins until very creamy and pale in colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through.

Steps

1. 🔥Stir in a spoonful of the flour,
2. 🧂then stir in the beaten egg and the rest of the flour alternately, a quarter at a time, beating well each time with a wooden spoon.
3. 🍳Stir in the almonds.

Prepare

1. 🧂Mix in the sherry (the mix will look curdled), then add the peel, cherries, raisins, cherries, nuts, lemon zest, spice, rosewater and vanilla.
2. 🍳Beat together to mix, then stir in the baking powder.
3. 🫇Spoon mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre.

Cook

1. 🍳Bake for 30 mins, then lower temperature to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and bake a further 2-2¼ hrs, until a skewer insterted in the middle comes out clean.

Prepare

1. 🫇Leave to cool in the tin, then take out of the tin and peel off the lining paper.

Steps

1. 🍽️When completely cold, wrap well in cling film and foil to store until ready to decorate.
2. 🌿The cake will keep for several months.