Go on a cake walk

At this time of year there are some recipes we are asked for time and time again – sugar-free pudding, a cake topped with mouthwatering fruit and nuts and fatless mincemeat. So here they are all together.

Nutty Fruit and Marzipan Cake

If you're not a great fan of the traditional-style iced cake, this is the perfect alternative. It's baked with a mouthwatering topping of fruits and nuts and is hugely popular. The cake mixture is studded with marzipan and has a tablespoon each of ground ginger and cinnamon for a truly spicy flavour. And it is 420 calories a slice

Ingredients
Cake:
275g butter, plus extra for greasing, 150g muscovado sugar, 6 eggs beaten, 275g plain flour, 75g ground almonds, 1 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, 800g luxury mixed fruit (including raisins, currants, sultanas, mixed peel and cherries), 125g white marzipan diced

Topping:
50g whole blanched hazelnuts, 75g flaked almonds, 50g whole blanched almonds, 125g whole glace cherries, 75g golden syrup

To decorate
One red candle and a fresh sprig of holly

Method
Lightly grease and line a 23cm round loose-bottomed cake tin with greaseproof paper. Now cover a tall, empty can measuring 7.5cm across with greaseproof paper and place it in the centre of the cake tin.

To make the fruit cake, cream together the butter and sugar until pale in colour, then gradually beat in the eggs until light and fluffy. If the mixture starts to separate, add one tablespoon of the plain flour, then beat again.

Sift together the plain flour, ground almonds and spices, then carefully fold into the butter mixture. Spoon off 75g of the cake mixture and put to one side.

Fold the luxury mixed fruit and marzipan into the remaining mixture and turn into the prepared cake tin. Spread over evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake at 180°C for 1 hour.

Mix all of the topping ingredients into the reserved cake mixture and spoon on to the cake. Loosely cover with foil, then return to the oven for 40 minutes more, taking off the foil for the last 15 minutes so that the nuts can brown.

To test that the fruit cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake – if it comes out clean, then the cake is ready. Cool in the tin.

When cold, carefully remove the fruit cake from its tin and gently ease out the can from the centre. Strip off all the lining paper.
To store, place the cake in an airtight tin and store in a cool, dry place. It will keep excellently for up to six weeks.

To serve, transfer to a serving plate and place a candle in the centre. (To secure it, use a small candle holder or drop a little hot wax onto the plate, then position the candle on top.) Decorate with a sprig of holly.

To freeze, wrap in foil. Use within six months. To thaw, leave in its wrappings at room temperature until thawed, then decorate as above.

Fruity fat-free mincemeat

This mincemeat is packed full of dried fruits and nuts that are cooked with chopped apples and cider to give a fresh, fruity flavour. It contains no suet or other fat so is perfect for people on low-fat diets.
Makes about 1.4kg, is15 calories a teaspoon.

Ingredients
200ml dry cider, 225g soft brown sugar,1 kg Bramley or other cooking apples, peeled. cored and chopped, 1 tsp ground mixed spice, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 225g (8oz) seedless raisins, 125g sultanas, 125g currants, 500 chopped mixed peel, 50g hazelnuts, chopped, 1 small orange, grated rind and juice.

Method
Heat the cider and sugar in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Partly cover, then simmer gently for 40-60 minutes or until the apples are pulpy and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Spoon into clean, warm jars. Cover.