Easy Christmas Cake (serves / makes 1 cake)

This is a traditional fruit cake that you can serve over Christmas time and the great thing about it is that it doesn’t take forever to make! It’s an easy recipe with a delicious result.

Ingredients:

250g fruit cake mix
50g mixed citrus peel
50g halved red glace cherries
50g flaked almonds
100g butter
125ml orange juice
5ml brandy essence
100g brown sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 extra large egg
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup milk
100g cake flour

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 15cm x 7cm deep cake tin with wax paper.
2. In a large pot, combine the fruit cake mix, citrus peel, cherries, almonds, butter, orange juice, brandy essence, sugar, bicarb and mixed spice. Mix together well and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
4. Beat the egg with the sherry and milk and then fold the flour into the egg mixture.
5. Add the fruit mixture and mix well to combine.
6. Spoon into the cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the end of a metal or wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
7. Decorate as desired. (We used icing sugar, walnuts, pecan nuts and whole cherries to decorate)