Method

1. Put the fruit (apricots, sultanas, raisins) into the bowl and mix with brandy (or orange juice if you want an alcohol-free pud).
2. If you’ve got time to play with, it’s a good idea to leave the bowl overnight so that the alcohol (or juice) soaks in for extra flavour.
3. Next add the nuts into the mix. Combine with the lemon zest, ginger, cherries and rinds.
4. Get all that yumminess mixed together in the bowl by whisking it with sugar and butter. Then add the eggs by beating them individually. At this point you can also add in the flour, salt and almonds, and then your fruit and nut mixtures.
5. Prepare a cake tin by greasing it with butter.
6. Next, add the mixture into the cake tin ensuring it’s slightly hollow in the centre and the top is nice and smooth.
7. Preheat your over to 160 degrees, gas mark 3 or 325F.
8. Place the cake in the oven for one hour.
9. Bring the temperature down to 150 degrees after the hour is up, and then cook for around 2 more hours.
10. You’ll know your cake is done when you put a fork or skewer in the middle and it comes out dry.

When it’s done, let your cake cool and then the decoration can begin. You can go to town with the topping however you wish. Try pecans and apricots or keep it simple and decorate with a pretty pattern of almonds (you'll need to brush the cake with red currant jelly first so they hold their place). Cherries on top can also work really well too, particularly if you want some extra sweetness. And voila, you’ve got a wonderfully light Christmas cake.
 

This light Christmas cake recipe is an absolute crowd pleaser. It’s great for those who don’t like their fruit cake too overbearing. Grab everything you need from your nearest convenience store for a light Christmas cake to remember.

*Recipe adapted from Foodista, licensed under CC BY 3.0.