Easy Christmas Cake

This cake is so simple, it can be in the oven in under 30 minutes. But we haven’t sacrificed taste for speed: our secret is quality ingredients, such as succulent vine fruits and unrefined muscovado sugar, rounded off with a hint of sherry and saffron.

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 3 hours to 4 hours
*Total time :* *3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes*
Makes: 1 x 20cm cake Serves: 25 to 30 Ingredients

500g bag Waitrose Soft Five Fruit Medley
500g bag Waitrose Orange River Sultanas
2 x 250g bags Waitrose Australian Lexia Raisins
100ml pale cream sherry
½ sachet Waitrose Cooks’ Ingredients Kashmiri Saffron
250g butter
200g light brown muscovado sugar
4 medium eggs
300g Waitrose Leckford Premium Plain White Flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC, gas mark 2. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin. Using scissors, snip the fruit medley into sultana-sized pieces and place in a bowl with the sultanas and raisins.

2. In a small pan, warm the sherry with the saffron, then mix in with the fruit.

3. Place the butter, sugar, eggs and flour in a large bowl and, using an electric hand whisk, beat together until combined. Tip in the fruit and mix thoroughly, using a large spoon.

4. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, pressing down and leaving a small dip in the centre.

5. Tie a double thickness of newspaper or brown paper around the tin, then place on several sheets of newspaper or brown paper in the centre of the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the the cake is firm and a sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the cake starts getting too brown, cover with a piece of baking parchment or foil.

Cook’s tips

Make the cake up to 2 months in advance. Allow to cool in the tin, then remove, wrap in baking parchment and then in a double layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place.

To top your cake, make a home-made marzipan from Spanish Marcona almonds – they have a wonderful flavour and are a great alternative to using ordinary ground almonds.