Packed with fruit and nuts this easy to make and decorate cake tastes delicious and looks stunning. Special enough for any special occasion or festive table.
100mltropical fruit or pineapple juice(4 floz/~½cup)
to decorate
125ggolden caster sugar(4oz/⅔ cup)
1teaspoongolden syrup
100mlwater(4 floz/~½cup)
4–5 glacé pineapple rings
6–8 no-soak dried apricots
6–8 glacé cherries
few strips of candied peel
6–10 Brazil nuts
6–10 pecan nuts
a few pistachios
Instructions
Prepare the fruit and nuts as above. Preheat the oven to 150℃ /130℃ fan/ gas mark 2. Grease and line a 20cm deep round cake tin.
Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a little of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
Fold in the flour, ground almonds and fruit juice. Then Finally fold in the fruit and nut.
Pile the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours until golden and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Meanwhile, place the caster sugar, syrup and water in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and continue to boil for a few minutes until syrupy.
Remove from the heat and add the fruit for decorating. Leave to soak while the cake cooks and cools.
When the cake is cooked, allow to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cake has cooled, brush the top of the cake with some of the syrup and arrange the fruit on top of the cake.