Rich Fruitcake

• 250 g plain flour
• 250 g butter
• 150 g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons caramels (or more for better colour)
• 150 g black currants
• 100 g sultanas
• 50 g raisins
• 50 g glace cherries
• 50 g tutti-frutti
• 1 teaspoon lemon, grated
• 50 g almonds, chopped
• 50 g cashews (rolled in caramel)
• 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 12 teaspoon ground ground nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons black currant jam

1. Soak black currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries and Tutti-fruiti in orange juice for 2 days.
2. As far as preparing caramel is concerned, you could either caramelise sugar at home by melting it over the gas with a little water and butter (to keep it from drying) or you could buy brown sugar from the market.
3. Instead of caramel, add 100 gms.
4. brown sugar.
5. But remember to add a tablespoons.
6. or more of caramel too.
7. To prepare this cake, you require a 7 inch round cake tin (plus greae proof/butter paper).
8. You will also require a balloon whisk to blend the ingredients and bowls to mix them.
9. To start preparing this cake, put castor sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.
10. Add sugar.
11. Stir well with a balloon whisk.
12. Add nuts.
13. Fold in three-fourth of the flour into the mixture.
14. In the remaining flour, mix the soaked fruits so that they will not stick to the bottom while baking.
15. Add the fruits and stir again.
16. Take the cake tin, cut a circular shape from the grease proof/butter paper, by placing the tin on top and tracing around the base, and insert it into the tin.
17. Do not forget to brush the insides of the tin and the sides with vegetable oil or butter before placing the lining.
18. Make strips of the paper to line the sides of the tin.
19. Preheat oven to 140 degrees for 10 minutes.
20. Spoon the prepared mixture into the tin.
21. Bake for an hour and 45 minutes.
22. When baked take it out of the tin and leave it to cool overnight.
23. Cover it airtight with cling film.
24. You could leave the lining paper on the cake to keep it moist.
25. When cool, place it on a cake base, apply black currant jam on all sides and roll out the marzipan (recipe posted separately) dough.
26. Cover the cake with the dough tightly so as to avoid air bubbles.
27. Cut the edges to shape the cake.
28. Now roll out the fondant icing and place it on top to cover the cake completely, till the edges of the base.
29. Decorate it with red ribbon and make a spray of flowers using the sugar paste (also known as"fondant white icing"- recipe posted separately).
30. Add red colour to it before creating the flowers.
31. You can use flower moulds to make roses.
32. Make cherries and leaves for effect.
33. Enjoy an early Chirstmas!

flour, butter, caster sugar, eggs, caramels, black currants, sultanas, raisins, glace cherries, lemon, almonds, cashews, ground mixed spice, ground ground nutmeg, black currant

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/rich-fruitcake-69507 (may not work)