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Classic Christmas cake

Eric Lanlard from Good Food Live
Orange liqueur adds a delicious citrus flavour and tipsy richness to classic fruit cake in Eric Lanlard's gloriously indulgent recipe

Classic Christmas cake

Method

1. Place the raisins in a bowl. Add in enough Grand Marnier to cover the raisins, cover the bowl and set aside for 24 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas 2.

3. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and sugar.

4. Add the eggs one at the time. If the mixture looks like splitting, add in a bit of the flour.

5. Add in the sifted flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and Grand Mariner, mixing together.

6. Gently fold in the soaked raisins, dried apricots, sultanas, peel, cherries, walnuts and hazelnuts.

7. Spoon the cake mix into two greased and lined 22cm spring-form cake tins.

8. Bake the cakes for 2½ hours to 3 hours. To test whether the cake is cooked through or not, pierce the centre with a skewer. If it comes out clean the cake is cooked through.

9. Remove the baked cakes and cool on a wire rack. Once cool, spray with more alcohol and wrap in cling film. Keep the cakes in a cool dry place until decorating or icing them.

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Serves: Makes two 22cm tins

Prep: 25 min, plus 24 hrs soaking
Cook: 3 hrs

Ingredients
375g golden raisins
100ml orange liqueur, plus extra for soaking
4 Eggs
300g plain flour, sifted
375g unsalted Butter
300g dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
juice of 1 lemon
375g Dried apricots, chopped
375g seedless sultanas
200g mixed peel, chopped
100g red glacé cherries
150g walnut halves
150g whole hazelnuts, roasted