• 150g (5oz) soft butter
• 150g (5oz) light muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 185g (6½oz) self-raising flour
• 40g (1½oz) cocoa powder
• 400g jar of luxury mincemeat (recipe follows)
• 80g (3oz) each of sultanas and raisins
• 50g (2oz) blanched almonds, chopped
• 100g packet of white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/electric 160ºC/fan oven 140ºC. Line a 20cm (8inch) cake tin (see below for instructions).

Lining the cake tin: One of the keys to success when baking a fruit cake is the preparation of the tin before you start mixing the ingredients. Because of the length of cooking time, you need to use two sheets of greaseproof paper or baking parchment inside the tin.

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat together for a minute or two until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1¾-2 hours until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. You will probably need to cover the cake with foil towards the end of cooking to prevent the top from browning too much. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

by Pak101.com (few years ago!) / 858 views