Christmas Cakes Recipe by Lorraine Godsmark

Ingredients

• 120 gm each dried figs, dried apricots and pitted prunes
• 85 gm honey
• 85 ml rum or Pedro Ximénez sherry
• For greasing: canola spray
• 100 gm blanched almonds, plus extra to garnish
• 300 gm sultanas
• 200 gm raisins
• 150 gm each currants, pitted Medjool dates and glacé orange (see note)
• 125 gm young stem ginger in syrup, coarsely chopped (see note)
• 100 gm glacé citron or cedro, diced (see note)
• 100 gm glacé pineapple, diced (see note)
• 100 gm frozen cranberries or cherries (see note)
• 100 gm pecans, chopped
• 300 gm (2 cups) plain flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp each finely ground star anise, ground cardamom, ground ginger and ground allspice
• 250 gm unsalted butter, chilled and brought out of fridge 5 minutes before using
• 300 gm brown sugar
• 4 eggs, chilled
• Soaking syrup
• 100 ml golden rum
• 1½ tbsp caster sugar