Name: Fruitcake with apricot butter icing
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: Makes a 20cm cake, about 12 slices
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200g butter softened; 100g whole almond; 200g plain flour; 200g icing sugar; 4 medium eggs; 700g mixed dried fruit; 25ml brandy; 150g butter softened; 150g apricot jam; 275g icing sugar sifted

200g butter
softened
100g whole almond
200g plain flour
200g icing sugar
4 medium eggs
700g mixed dried fruit
25ml brandy

For the icing

150g butter
softened
150g apricot jam
275g icing sugar
sifted

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin with a little bit of the butter, then line with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Wrap a couple of sheets of newspaper around the outside of the tin, then secure with string.
step 2
In a food processor, whizz the almonds with the flour until the mix resembles crumbs. Beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then fold in the flour and almonds, dried fruit and brandy. Scrape into the tin, level the surface and bake for 1 hr 15 mins, until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
step 3
When the cake is completely cold, make the icing quickly by beating the butter, jam and icing sugar until pale. Don’t allow the butter to get too warm or overbeat as the icing might split. Swirl all over the cake, then leave in a cool place to set (but not the fridge).