Ingredients
350g raisins
125g sultanas
125g currants
200ml or 400ml ginger wine – depending on whether you want a spongy or a pudding-y cake, plus 4 tablespoons extra
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g dark muscovado sugar
4 eggs
200g plain flour
50g ground almonds
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2-3 teaspoons ground ginger, depending how hot you want it!
1 tablespoon black treacle
Method
The night before you make the cake place the dried fruits and ginger wine in a bowl to soak. Stir occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/320°F/gas mark 3.
Line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper ensuring that the paper comes up about 2cm above the height of the tin.
Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and well combined. The mixture will lighten a bit in colour.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding some of the flour if it looks like it might curdle.
Mix in the flour, almonds, spices and treacle.
Stir in the soaked fruits along with any liquid left in the bowl.
Spoon into the tin (it will come up almost to the top) and level the surface.
Bake for 30 minutes then lower the temperature to 150°/fan oven 130°C/300°F/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 1 ½ – 2 hours, but definitely check after 1 ½ hours as mine was almost done.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pierce all over with a skewer and brush on the 4 tablespoons ginger wine.
Leave the cake to cool completely in its tin before removing and wrapping in baking paper and foil. Once wrapped the cake will keep for up to 3 months. If however, like me, you wish to eat the cake straight away, simply de-tin it and put it on a serving plate!
Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.
Eat.