White Christmas Cake

This cake is an excellent alternative to a classic, Christmas Cake. 

It's still rich & fruity but a little lighter with lift of citrus & a hint of vanilla & almonds. 

Makes: 20 Prep: 45 minutes Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients

- 285g plain flour

- ½ tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking powder

- ½ tsp ground all spice

- 225g caster sugar

- 5 large eggs

- zest of 1 orange

- zest of 1 lemon

- ½ tsp vanilla extract

- ½ tsp almond extract

- 2 tbsp brandy

- 225g chopped walnuts

- 110g chopped pecans

- 225g glacé pineapple

- 225g chopped mixed peel

- 110g chopped candied angelica

- 2 tbsp apricot jam

- 500g marzipan

- 110g unsalted butter

- 450g icing sugar

- 5 tbsp brandy

Method

1. Heat your oven to 150°C. Line the base & sides of a 23cm round deep cake tin with double thickness of baking parchment, cutting it so it stands a good 5cm proud of the top of the tin.

2. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder & allspice together into a bowl & set aside.

3. In a large bowl beat the butter until light & fluffy. Add the sugar & beat until smooth & light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding 1 tbsp of flour with each to prevent curdling. Beat in the orange & lemon zest, vanilla and almond extract & brandy.

4. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the remaining flour mix, the nuts, glacé fruit, peel & angelica, until thoroughly combined. Spoon into the prepared tin & smooth the surface.

5. Bake for 2¼ - 2¾ hours, until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

6. When your cake is completely cool, warm the jam with a splash of water then sieve & brush all over the cake.

7. Roll out 300g of the marzipan to a large circle, 4mm thick. Using the cake tin as a guide, cut a round of marzipan to fit the top of the cake & position it. Roll out the remaining with the trimmings & cut 2 long strips to fit the sides of the cake. Position these then smooth the marzipan & mould the edges together.

8. To make the icing, beat the butter until smooth & creamy. Beat in ½ the icing sugar & stir in the brandy. Beat in the rest of the icing sugar until smooth. Spread evenly over the cake

Taken from Paul Hollywood’s How to Bake, published by Bloomsbury Photograph © Peter Cassidy