Eliza's fruit cake

Annabel Langbein Media

This is my go-to Christmas cake recipe. The prunes deliver a wonderful, moist texture without overpowering the taste. You can vary the fruit and nuts you use - just make sure you use the same total volume.

Ingredients

3 cups	Pitted prunes, halved and soaked overnight in 4 Tbsp brandy or whisky (Main)
250 g	Butter
1 cup	Sugar
5	Eggs
2 cups	Plain flour
1 tsp	Baking powder
2 ½ cups	Dried fruit, mixed (Main)
⅔ cup	Dried apricots, finely chopped
1 cup	Raisins, or sultanas
60 whole	Blanched almonds, to decorate (Main)
¼ cup	Citrus peel, chopped

Almond paste

1 ½ cups	Ground almonds (Main)
½ cup	Caster sugar
1	Beaten egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 150C fanbake. Grease a deep 21cm-diameter cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper. Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy, then beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in flour and baking powder until smooth, then add dried fruit, apricots, raisins or sultanas, citrus peel and soaked prunes and mix until evenly combined. Transfer to prepared tin. Bake for 2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
2. While cake is baking, make almond paste by mixing all ingredients. Remove cooked cake from oven and cover with the paste while still in the tin. Decorate with almonds and return to oven until almonds are lightly browned (about 15 minutes).

More Christmas cakes from Annabel

• Overnight Christmas cake
• Miraculous three ingredient Christmas cake

For more great Annabel Langbein recipes see her new summer annual A Free Range Life: Celebrate Summer! (Annabel Langbein Media, $24.95) or visit

annabel-langbein.com