Mary Berry’s Christmas Cake | McCarthy Stone

Ingredients

• For the cake
• 350g/12oz currants
• 225g/8oz sultanas
• 225g/8oz raisins
• 175g/6oz glacé cherries, rinsed, dried and quartered
• 175g/6oz ready-to-eat dried apricots, snipped into pieces
• 75g/3oz mixed candied peel, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp brandy, plus extra brandy for 'feeding' the cake
• 275g/10 oz plain flour
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp ground mixed spice
• 400g/14oz butter, softened
• 400g/14oz dark muscovado sugar
• 5 free-range eggs
• 65g/2 1/2 whole almonds, chopped (skins left on)
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 1 lemon, grated zest only
• 1 orange, grated zest only
• For the decoration
• Whole blanched almonds
• Glace cherries, rinsed, dried and halved