Name: Gingered rich fruit cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: oil for greasing; 100g each dried currant sultanas and raisins; 225g each semi-dried fig and prunes, roughly chopped; 200g tub crystallised ginger; 100g stem ginger from a jar, chopped; 2 tbsp stem ginger syrup; 4 tbsp Cointreau; 1 tsp each ground ginger and mixed spice; zest 2 lemons; 150ml olive oil; 175g light muscovado sugar; 4 eggs; 225g gluten-free flour; 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder; 4 tbsp apricot jam; 1 tbsp Cointreau; 450g mixed fruit, including figs, prunes, date and apricots

oil
for greasing
100g each dried currant
sultanas and raisins
225g each semi-dried fig
and prunes, roughly chopped
200g tub crystallised ginger
100g stem ginger
from a jar, chopped
2 tbsp stem ginger syrup
4 tbsp Cointreau
1 tsp each ground ginger
and mixed spice
zest 2 lemons
150ml olive oil
175g light muscovado sugar
4 eggs
225g gluten-free flour
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

For the topping

4 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp Cointreau
450g mixed fruit, including figs, prunes, date
and apricots

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Lightly oil a 71⁄2cm deep, 25cm round cake tin, and line it with a double layer of baking parchment.
step 2
Mix the dried fruits, ginger and syrup, Cointreau, spices and lemon zest. Put the olive oil, sugar and eggs in a bowl, whisk together until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and tip in the fruit. Fold and stir together well.
step 3
Spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 2-21⁄2 hrs, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil if the cake begins to over-brown. Take from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Remove, leaving the baking parchment in place until you decorate.
step 4
For the topping: warm the jam and Cointreau together until the jam is liquid, allow to cool. Arrange the fruit on the cake and brush with the jam.