Mum’s Christmas cake

1.Place the mixed dried fruit in a large mixing bowl and stir through the sherry and rum. Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak for at least 12 hours at room temperature.

2.Place the soaked fruit in a large pan with the extra sherry, butter, sugar, mixed spice and baking soda. Cook over a medium to low heat, stirring often, until all the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil for 1 minute before removing from the heat and stirring through the chocolate. Leave the mixture to cool completely.

3.Once cool, preheat the oven to 125°C and line the sides and bottom of a 26cm springform cake tin with two layers of baking paper. Add the chopped almonds, eggs and essences to the fruit mixture, mixing it well. Sift over the flour and baking powder and fold in until completely combined.

4.Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and decorate the top with extra almonds, if desired. Bake for 4-5 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin, overnight if possible.

5.To store, remove the cake from the tin but leave it wrapped in the baking paper. Cover the top with extra baking paper and wrap the cake completely in foil. Store in an airtight tin in a cool place. The cake will keep for at least a month or can be frozen.