FRUIT BRANDY RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a large glass mixing bowl; stir gently. Cover and let stand at room temperature 3 weeks, stirring fruit twice a week. Serve fruit over ice cream or pound cake, reserving at least 1 cup of fruit mixture to use as a starter at all times.
• To replenish starter, add 1 cup sugar and one of the first 3 ingredients every 1 to 3 weeks, alternating fruit each time; stir gently. Cover and let stand at room temperature 3 days before using.

Steps:

• Put the currants, sultanas, raisins, glacé cherries, apricots and mixed peel in a large bowl. Stir in the brandy, cover the bowl and leave in a cool place overnight.
• Lightly grease a 23cm/9in deep round cake tin. Cut a strip of baking parchment to fit twice around the sides of the tin, fold the bottom edge of the strip up by about 2.5cm/1in, creasing it firmly, then open out the fold and cut slanting lines into this narrow strip at intervals. Put a circle of baking parchment into the base of the tin, lightly grease the outer edge and then fit the prepared strip of parchment with the snipped edge in the base of the tin to line the sides of the tin. Place a second circle of baking parchment in to cover the cut part of the paper.
• Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1.
• Put the flour, nutmeg, mixed spice, butter, sugar, eggs, almonds, treacle and citrus zest in a large bowl and beat well. Fold in the soaked fruits.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon. Decorate the top with the whole blanched almonds and glacé cherries, pushing them lightly into the top of the cake mixture. Cover the top of the cake loosely with a double layer of greaseproof paper. Bake for 4¼–4¾ hours, or until the cake feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin.
• When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and 'feed' with a little splash of brandy. Once the cake is completely cold, leave the lining paper on the cake, wrap in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months, feeding at intervals with more brandy.