Easy Christmas Cake

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan, gas mark 2). Grease and double line with baking parchment an 8 inch cake tin.

For the nut and dried fruit mixture, put all the ingredients into a large pan and heat gently, stirring until the Light and Dark Muscovado Sugar dissolves and butter has melted. Bring up to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the plain flour and self-raising flour, spices and ground almonds, then stir in the eggs, followed by the nut and fruit mixture.

Pour into the prepared tin and level out with a spoon.

Bake in the oven for 2 hours, or until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted through the centre (if necessary, cook for a further 10-15 minutes). The cake must be springy to the touch.

Transfer onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely in the tin.

Once cool, remove the cake from the tin and place onto a large plate or stand. Alternatively, wrap in baking paper, followed by a layer of foil and store in a cool dry place until ready to serve,

If you prefer, you can swap the apple juice with your favourite tipple. If you are baking your cake in advance, carefully make small holes in the top of the cake and feed with a tablespoon of alcohol or apple juice once a week.

To decorate, use a star-shaped stencil or similar placed in the centre of the top of the cake, and dust with Golden Icing Sugar. Alternatively, cover with icing and marzipan for a traditional finish.