Angela Nilsen's Christmas Cake

• unsalted butter↗200g g

  softened to room temperature

• dark muscovado sugar↗200g g
• plain flour↗200g g
• eggs↗4

  beaten

• ground almond↗50g g
• sherry↗100ml ml

  sweet or dry, depending on what you have in the pantry

• candied orange zest↗85g g

  coarsely chopped (used Sundora)

• candied cherries↗85g g

  coarsely chopped

• raisins↗250g g
• blackcurrants↗250g g
• pecans↗100g g

  nuts, broken into large pieces

• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• mixed spice1½ tsp
• rose water1½ tsp
• vanilla extract↗½ tsp
• розпушувач↗½ ч. л.

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 160 °C (convection 140 °C, gas 3). Line the bottom and sides of a round 20 cm diameter, 7.5 cm deep tin with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 1–2 minutes until the mixture becomes creamy and pale‑yellow, scraping the sides of the bowl as you beat. Add 1 tablespoon of flour, then gradually fold in the beaten egg and the remaining flour, a quarter of the flour at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Stir in the ground almond.

2. 2

   Pour in the sherry (the mixture will look lumpy), then add the candied orange zest, candied cherries, raisins, blackcurrants, chopped pecans, lemon zest, mixed spice, rose water and vanilla extract. Mix well, then fold in the baking powder.

3. 3

   Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top and make a slight depression in the centre. Bake for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 150 °C (convection 130 °C, gas 2) and bake for another 2–2¼ hours, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out dry. Let the cake cool in the tin, then remove it and peel off the parchment. Once completely cooled, wrap tightly in food‑grade film and foil – this will keep it moist for several months until decorating.