• 225 g Butter
• 225 g Soft Brown sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 225 g plain flour
• 1 glass of sherry (or any other booze !)
• 675 g mixed dried (sultanas, raisins, currants)
• 50 g crystalised or candid cherries cut each cherry into quarters and toss in the flour before adding.
• 50 g ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons of ground mixed spice (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg)
• Extra spirit whisky / rum or brandy

1. For a Christmas cake that will be ready in December begin in September.
2. Heat oven to 160ºC.
3. Prepare a cake tin, line it well with non stick baking paper. 20cm circular tin with a depth of about 8 cm.
4. Cream butter and sugar together.
5. Add beaten eggs and sherry.
6. Mix the flour, dried fruit, cherries and almonds in another bowl to coat the fruit. Then add to the other mixture and mix very well.
7. Put the mixture into the prepared tin and bake at 160ºC for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 140ºC and cook until cooked through, another 1 to 2 hours depends on the oven. Leave to cool overnight in the oven until completely cold.
8. Remove the paper used for cooking and and with a skewer or a very large needle make a lot of pricks in the base of the cake and then gently pour over a glass of the extra spirit. (or use a syringe and needle to inject the booze). Finally wrap in clean baking paper, then wrap tin foil and store in an airtight container.
9. After 4 weeks take the cake out of the container and paper and repeat the booze injections. Re wrap using the same paper and foil.
10.  Repeat after another 4 weeks and then at Christmas time enjoy !!

This is my mothers recipe, from her mother, Winifred Allingham, best Christmas cake I know, but take heed it does not work without the booze. Gave my mum in law, Alma, a cake when I was first married and forgot to tell her to “feed” the cake booze, it was horribly dry. Goes very well with a strong cheese, that’s the Yorkshire way !!