Billington's

Directions

1. Put the dried fruit into a bowl. Add the Ginger Wine and stir everything together. Microwave on High for 2 minutes to warm through.(Alternatively put into a pan and warm through for a few minutes). Tip into a sealable container and put the lid on. Leave the fruit to macerate for as long as you’ve got!
2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 15cm (6in) cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180C / fan 160C / gas 4.
3. Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream together with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs a little at a time, adding 2tbsp of flour to stop the mixture curdling. Sift in the remaining flour and mixed spice, then fold in.
4. Put half the macerated fruit into a processor and whizz until it’s smooth
5. Add to the flour with the rest of the fruit and boozy liquid. Fold everything together. Spoon into the prepared tin, smoothing over the surface and leaving a slight dip in the surface.
6. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, test to see if cooked by inserting a cocktail stick in the centre - it should come away clean. If it doesn’t, return the cake to the oven for 15 minutes and check again. Cool in the tin.
7. Turn the cake onto serving plate or board and peel away the lining paper. Brush the top and sides of the cake with apricot glaze. Roll out the marzipan on a sheet of baking parchment to a 25cm / 10inch circle. Lift up the paper and upturn the marzipan, positioning it centrally. Peel away the paper, then gently press and smooth the marzipan around the top and sides of the cake with the palm of your hand. Trim off excess marzipan around the base of the cake.
8. Put the egg whites into a large bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar (with a wooden spoon or in a free standing electric mixer) until it’s a stiff mixture. Add the glycerine. Use a palette knife to spread the icing over the top of the cake, smoothing and peaking. Now spread the cake smoothly over the sides of the cake.

Tip:
We’ve made a really deep dramatic cake. If you’ve got a larger 20cm (8 inch) tin that will be fine, the cake will be 5cm high. It will also cook quicker, so check after 1 hour.

Recipe Information

Makes 15cm (6inch) round cake (20 slices):
1 hour to prepare, plus soaking fruit:
1 3/4 hours to cook: