Christmas Fruitcake

Step 1: Put sultanas, raisins, apricots, 1 cup of sherry, jam, orange zest and juice in a large bowl, mixing to combine, cover and leave to soak for at least 2 hours.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 160C.

Step 3: Grease two 17cm round springform cake tins and line bases and sides with a double layer of baking paper.

Step 4: Stir butter, sugar and eggs into the fruit mixture until well combined.

Step 5: Sift flours, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg over mixture, stirring to combine and then spoon into prepared cake thins, and smooth down the surface with the back of a spoon and tap cake gently on a benchtop to settle mixture.

Step 6: Wrap a double thickness of brown paper or newspaper around tins and secure with kitchen string.

Step 7: Bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Step 8: Remove from oven and pour remaining sherry over surface of the cakes and put on a wire rack to cool completely before removing cakes from tins.

Step 9: To make buttercream, put butter bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft, smooth and pale in colour and leaving mixer running, add 2 tablespoons of the icing sugar at a time, beating well after each addition, until all the icing sugar is added and a thick, smooth cream forms and then add vanilla extract, beating to combine.

Step 10: Trim cakes and place one of a cake stand.

Step 11: Roll out the marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar until 4mm thick.

Step 12: Cut a 17cm round from marzipan and put on top of the base cake, trimmed if necessary.

Step 13: Put remaining cake on top and spoon buttercream onto tiered cake and spread evenly with a palate knife and decorate the top of the cake with fesh flowers and serve.

Step 14: TIPS - to bring out the richest flavours from the dried fruit, soak it (see step 1) for ujp to a month in advance, keeping it in the fridge. Try using dark brown sugar in stead of caster sugar for a darker coloured cake. If you prefer a more tranditional ruitcake finish using ready to roll fondant (available from some supermarkets) instead of the buttercrea. Decorate with pretty from garden, wrapping the stems in foil.