Cake Ingredients
• 125ml brandy
• 125ml glacé cherries, chopped
• 100g pecan nuts, chopped
• 2 extra large eggs, beaten – at room temperature
• 500ml cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt – this is most important because it helps the cake to rise
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 rounded teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 rounded teaspoon cinnamon

Making the Cake
Heat oven to 160°.
Add the brandy, cherries and nuts to the fruit mix.
Fold in the beaten eggs.
Sift the dry ingredients together and fold into the fruit mix – the mixture should be moist without being wet & sloppy.
Turn into a 20cm round or 18cm square cake tin.
Decorate the top of the cake with glacé fruit and nuts.
Put 2 bowls of water in the bottom of the oven – this will ensure that the cake doesn’t dry out or burn.
Put the cake in the oven for 10 minutes at 160°.
Drop the oven temperature to 150°.
Bake the cake for 2½ hours.
After 1½ hours, cover the cake with a round of tin foil, shiny side up, to prevent burning.
Remove cover after 2 hours and start testing the cake.
When a skewer inserted comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven.
Cool the cake in tin.
Before closing up the foil & paper, sprinkle with 4 tablespoons brandy.

Shopping List
• 200g nuts as follows ~
  100g pecans for the cake mixture and
  100g almonds for decoration
• 200g cherries as follows ~
  100g for the cake mixture and
  100g for decoration and / or
• 200g mixed glacé fruit for decoration ~ optional