Christmas cake

Preheat oven to 140°C.

Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment.
Place the cake mix, cherries, mixed peel and almonds in a bowl and dust with a 2 tbsp of the flour.
Cream together the sugar and butter until pale in colour.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time until mixture is light and fluffy.
Sift together the flour, mixed spice, nutmeg, baking powder and cinnamon and fold into the wet ingredients together with the dried fruit and 90ml brandy.

Pour batter into the lined baking tin, and using a spoon make a slight dent in the middle. Cover cake with foil.
Place a Bain-Marie on the bottom shelf of the oven and place the cake on a wire rack directly on top. (This prevents the cake from drying out).
Bake in oven for 3 ½ hours or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Pour 3 tbsp of brandy over the cooled cake and store wrapped in foil in an airtight container.
Douse cake with a few extra tablespoons of brandy every week until ready to decorate.
Cover cake with marzipan and plastic icing if desired.

Recipe reprinted with permission of Source Food.