Preparation

Grease and double line a deep round cake tin (23cm)

Chop dates put them with the bicarb in 250ml boiling water stir and sock for 10 minutes

Juice and zest the orange

Put all the other dried fruit, brandy, and sugar. butter, orange juice and zest into a pan and simmer for 10 minutes

Cool and add the dates and juice – if possible, now leave over niovernightght for all the flavours to develop.

Instructions

Stir eggs into the fruit mixture

In a bowl sift the flour, ground almonds, cocoa powder, and spices.

Pour into the fruit mixture and mix until fully combined.

Fold in chopped chocolate and pour the batter into your greased tin.

Bake in the oven for over 2 hours the cake is ready to come out when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave in the tin until completely cold.

Then store in greaseproof paper and foil.

If you like a boozy cake poke a few holes across the top of the cake and feed it with Brandy!

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You can ice the cake as normal with almond paste and royal icing but this cake is very rich and really doesn’t need the extra calories