Last-minute pineapple Christmas cake

Easily prepared the day before, or on Christmas day itself, this pineapple cake is a perfect alternative to the traditional Christmas fruit cake.

Ingredients

150 g	Butter, coarsely cubed
1 cup	Brown sugar
440 g	Canned crushed pineapple (Main)
500 g	Dried fruit
2	Eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp	Rum
1 cup	Flour
1 cup	Self raising flour
½ tsp	Baking soda
1 tsp	Mixed spice
1 tsp	Ground cinnamon

Butter icing

100 g	Butter, softened
4 cups	Icing sugar, sifted
1	Lemon, juice of
2 Tbsp	Water, boiling

Directions

1. Heat oven to 150C fan bake. Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line the base with nonstick baking paper.
2. Place butter, brown sugar, crushed pineapple and juice in a saucepan, then stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Stir in mixed dried fruit and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl to cool.
3. Stir in the lightly beaten eggs and rum. Then stir in the flours, baking soda and mixed spices, sifted together. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface.
4. Bake for 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool cake in the tin before turning out. Spread with butter icing once cake is cooled completely.
5. To prepare butter icing, combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy.