[Loukas]

it was a hard one but i found one for you ann

Preparation Time: 30 minutes, plus soaking time
Cooking Time: 4 hours

Ingredients

750g mixed dried fruit
150g glacé cherries
225ml stout, (Guinness, for example)
100ml whisky
75ml orange juice
1 orange, zest only
2 tbsp black treacle
200g Butter, slightly soft
200g muscovado sugar
250g plain flour
1 heaped tsp Baking powder
5 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp Mixed spice
75g brazil nuts, or almonds, chopped

1.Place the dried fruits, cherries, stout, whisky, orange juice, zest and treacle into a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Preferably, transfer to a bowl and chill overnight - but don't worry if you can't: just leave it soaking as long as you can.

2. Preheat the oven to 140C/gas 2.

3. Lightly grease a 20cm round cake tin and line with baking parchment or a shaped silicone sheet.

4. Place all the remaining ingredients except the nuts in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I do mine in the electric mixer when I'm feeling lazy). Beat until smooth, then fold in the soaked fruit and the nuts.

5. Spoon into the prepared tin and level the top, making a slight dip towards the centre. Bake for 3 hours, then check and cover the top with more paper or silicone if it is over-browning. Bake for a further 30 minutes-1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so in the tin, then turn out and allow to cool completely on a rack.

7. Wrap the cake in baking parchment and then in foil, and store in a tin somewhere cool and dry until it's time to decorate it. Every couple of weeks (or more often, if you're short of time), unwrap the cake, make a few holes in the top with a skewer, spoon a little brandy or whisky over the top and let it soak in. This keeps the cake moist - and makes it taste even better. You can use orange juice if you're avoiding too much alcohol. Rewrap the cake and store.


Merry Christmas