RUM AND PEAR SIMNEL CAKE

SERVES 12-14

To decorate:

• 80g dried cranberries
• 80g medjool dates
• 80g soft died apricots
• 80g mixed peel
• 500g brandy
• 250g butter
• 250g soft light brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 250g plain flour
• 15g baking powder
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp treacle
• 100g ground hazelnuts
• 1 lemon
• 1 orange
• 2 2 cm pieces fresh ginger
• 2 pears

• 4 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 egg

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Step 2
Line (bottom and sides) a 2.5cm x 20cm deep round baking tin, with a double thickness of greaseproof paper.

Step 3
Put a double thickness of newspaper around the outside of the tin, too.

Step 4
(The cake needs a long cooking time, so the double greaseproof will protect the outside from cooking too quickly).

Step 5
Put the currants, sultanas and raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots and mixed peel in a bowl and cover with the brandy/rum or tea, and leave to steep overnight.

Step 6
The next day, cream together the butter and sugar until they are well combined, add half of the eggs and half the flour and stir to just combine, then add the rest of the eggs, flour, baking powder, mixed spice, nutmeg and ground ginger and mix to just combine.

Step 7
Finally drain the fruit, reserving the brandy/rum/tea and toss the fruit in the 70g of flour.

Step 8
This will stop it from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking.

Step 9
Add the fruit along with the treacle, hazelnuts, lemon and orange zests and fresh ginger and stir until the mixture looks uniform, and then fold in the pears.

Step 10
Dollop into the cake tin and make a well in the centre of the cake batter.

Step 11
Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and bake for 2-2½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the sides have shrunk slightly from the sides of the tin.

Step 12
Once it is cooked, remove it from the oven and prick holes over the top of the cake and pour some of the brandy/rum liquid over the top so it runs into the holes and "feeds" the cake with booziness.

Step 13
Then allow the cake to cool.

Step 14
Once it is cool, remove it from the tin and set it on a serving plate.

Step 15
Roll out the marzipan to about 5mm thick on some icing sugar, then put the cake tin on top of the marzipan and, using a knife, mark round the tin.

Step 16
Remove the tin from the marzipan and remove the offcuts, so you have a perfect circle.

Step 17
Brush the top of the cake with the apricot jam.

Step 18
If the jam is quite thick, heat it in a pan with a little water to loosen it up.

Step 19
Then place the marzipan circle on top of the cake and press it down gently.

Step 20
Take some of the marzipan offcuts, roll them into 12 balls about the size of 1 p coins and arrange them around the outside of the marzipan, sticking them on with the apricot jam.

Step 21
Preheat the grill to high and brush the marzipan with the lightly beaten egg.

Step 22
Then place the cake under the grill until the marzipan begins to brown.

Step 23
You can use a blowtorch to brown the marzipan if you have one.