Ingredients:

• 1kg dried fruit
• 125ml brandy
• 125ml orange juice
• 250g butter, chopped at room temperature
• 185g walnuts
• 230g soft brown sugar
• 160g marmalade
• 5 eggs
• 250g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Method:

• soak the fruit in the brandy + orange juice overnight in a very large bowl.
• prepare the cake tin by lining it with greaseproof paper on the bottom and around the sides.
• the next day, preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
• chop the walnuts (either by hand or in a food processor)
• beat together the sugar, butter and marmalade in a bowl until light and creamy.
• add the eggs to the sugar/butter mixture one at a time, beating after each addition
• add the walnuts and sugar/butter mixture to the bowl of fruit and mix.
• sieve in the bicarb, spices and flour to the fruit and mix together very well.
• pour into the prepared tin and bake for 3 – 3.5 hours until a skewer comes out clean.
• allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack.