CHRISTMAS CHERRY CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Add vine fruit, pears, candied peel, glace´ cherries and berries into a large bowl. Pour over brandy and cherry brandy. Stir well. Cover and leave overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150°C (130°C in a fan oven). Add butter and sugar to bowl of food mixer, then, using the beater attachment, mix well for about 10 mins until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, along with a little flour, to stop it curdling, and beat gently between each addition. Fold in the remaining flour. Stir in treacle, orange and lemon zest, spices and nuts and mix. Then, tip in the soaked fruit and any juices and stir well until there are no traces of flour – the mixture should be a dropping consistency. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smooth out the top so it’s level, then put it in the oven and bake for about 4 hrs, or until a skewer comes out clean when poked into the centre. Keep an eye on it; if it starts to brown too quickly halfway through, cover loosely with foil. Remove from oven, leave to cool completely before releasing from tin. Turn the cake upside down, make some holes in the base using a skewer and pour in a little cherry brandy. Leave it to soak for a while and then double wrap in clean greaseproof paper then foil. Feed occasionally with more brandy over the weeks up to Christmas, to keep it moist. Store in a tin somewhere cool.

Steps:

• In a medium non-metallic bowl mix the dried cherries, raisins, sultanas and brandy. Cover and leave to soak overnight at room temperature. 

  The next day, preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Grease and line base and sides of a 20.5cm (8in) round loose-bottom cake tin with baking parchment. Wrap a double layer of newspaper or brown paper, 3cm (11/4in) higher than the cake tin, around the outside of the tin and secure with string. 

  In a food processor whiz the drained black cherries. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gently fold in the cornflour, mixed spice and polenta, followed by the ground almonds and chocolate. 

  Finally stir in the soaked fruit, glacé cherries, tinned cherry purée and 4tbsp of the reserved syrup (discard remaining).

  Tip into prepared tin and smooth surface. Bake for 31/4hrs or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set cake tin on a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to cool completely.