This recipe is best with
Recipe Ingredient
- 200g butter
- 200g soft brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 100g self-raising flour
- 200g flour
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 175g sultanas
- 250g black raisins
- 50g mixed peel
- 50g dried apricots - coarsely chopped
- 50g crystalised ginger - coarsely chopped
- 3 tbsp Cointreau
- Topping:
- Apricot gel
- 5 pecan nuts or walnuts - toasted
- Apricot gel glaze:
- 225g apricot jam
- 55ml water
- 1 3/4 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of greaseproof paper.
- Sift the flours with the mixed spice. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and adding a little flour if the mixture shows signs of curdling.
- Beat in the essence. Fold in the sifted flours in batches, alternating it with a tablespoon of cointreau each time.
- Mix fruits in a mixing bowl and add in one to two tablespoons flour. Stir fruits into the creamed mixture.
- Spoon the mixture into prepared cake tin and smooth the surface with a spatula.
- Knock tin lightly on a flat surface to break up any air bubbles.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 160 ºC for an hour, lower the temperature to 150 ºC and continue to bake for another hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean and dry.
- Cool cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- To make topping: Brush apricot gel over cake. Arrange the pecan nuts in the centre of cake and brush with more gel to give the cake a beautiful sheen. Allow cake to dry before dusting with icing sugar.
- To make Apricot gel glaze: Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and stir well until it is thoroughly blended and mixture is smooth. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes then force the mixture through a fine wire sieve. Brush the warm glaze over the cake.
- You can keep the rest of the glaze in a covered container in the refrigerator. It will last for a fortnight.
