Christmas Cake

Never too late to get one of these brewing. I make them a week or so before the big day and then 'feed' the cake with brandy every other day, then cover in marzipan, or slice like this and cover with brandy cream, butter or just some of my vanilla cashew cream.

• 140g Unsalted Butter – 1 Cup
• ½ cup coconut sugar
• 1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
• ¼ cup Chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup ground almonds
• 1 Orange Juice and Zest
• Pinch ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp star anise ground
• ½ tsp fennel and cardamom seeds crushed
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 4 ½ Cups brandy soaked dried fruit OR
• 2 Cups Raisins
• 2 Cups Sultanas
• ½ cup cherries chopped
• ¼ cup dried apricots chopped

Melt the butter gently with the coconut sugar, stirring to dissolve. Sift the flours and spices together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs into the melted butter quickly so as not to scramble them, adding ½ the orange juice and all the zest. Fold into the flours and nuts carefully, adding the fruit. Double line an 8 inch cake tin. Scrape the mixture into the tin. Bake at 140 for 2 hours until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin and spend the next week or two feeding it with brandy if you want. Spearing it all over with a cocktail stick or skewer, and then spooning a tiny bit of brandy into the holes. Cover tightly with tin foil and store in a tin until needed. Decorate with holly, fruit and nuts and charms. Marzipan and icing can be rolled out and added on as optional extras!