Wedding Celebration Cake

Celebration Cake

Ingredients:

• 225g raisins
• 125g prunes, stoned and chopped
• 225g currants
• 225g sultanas 
• 225g dried cranberries
• 60g glacé cherries, rinsed and chopped 
• 60g mixed peel 
• 4 tbsp blended whisky
  
• 2 oranges, juice and zest
• 275g unsalted butter
• 275g light soft brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 275g plain flour 
• 1 tbsp black treacle 
• 60g almonds, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp mixed spice 
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
• 3 tbsp apricot jam

Place the dried fruit in a large bowl, mix together. Add whisky, orange juice and zest. Cover and leave to soak overnight.

Preheat oven 140°C / Gas 1. Grease and double line a 23cm loose bottom cake tin. 

Wrap a double layer of brown paper around the cake tin and fasten with a string. This prevents the cake from burning on the outside. 

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs add tbsp of flour to prevent the mixture from curdling. Mis in the treacle. Sift flour with the mixed spice and nutmeg. Add about two tbsp to the fruit and stir in. Fold remaining flour and spice into the egg mixture. 

Stir in the fruit and chopped almonds and ensure the fruit, nut and cake mix are thoroughly blended. 

Spoon into the prepared cake tin, leaving a dip in the middle. 

Bake in the centre of the oven for 4-4.5 hours. Check the cake after two hours and if it looks colored, cover with greaseproof paper disc and continue cooking until it is firm to the touch and well coloured. Check the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake. This should come out clean. 

Allow to cool in the tin. When cool wrap the cake in clean greaseproof paper and foil and store in a dry place. 

About 10 days before the celebration melt the apricot jam and spread over the cake. Top with Almon paste and royal icing.( See below ).

Almond Paste 

• 3 egg yolks
• 600g ground almonds
• 300g icing sugar
• 300g golden caster sugar
• 3 tbsp orange juice

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until a paste is formed. 

Divide the almond paste in two. Roll over piece into a long rectangle to fit the sides of the cake and the other into a circle to fit the top of the cake. 

Using the rolling pin lift the almond paste and carefully unroll over the cake. Cover the sides first and finish with the top. 

Royal Icing

• 3 egg whites
• 675g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp glycerine

For the icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl, add the sifted icing sugar gradually, stirring in the lemon juice and glycerine - the icing should be thick and stand up in peaks. 

Spoon over the cake and down the sides and smooth down - decorate with flowers to match.