1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. Sieve flour with spices
3. Beat in eggs one at a time – add a spoonful of flour after each egg to stop it curdling
4. Fold in the rest of the flour, the rind of 1 orange and lemon and then the fruit plus any booze not absorbed plus the orange and lemon juice
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 140 C or 120 fan for 4 hours or until a skewer comes out of the centre clean. Don’t open the oven for at least 2 hours. If the top of the cake looks like burning, cover lightly with tinfoil for the rest of the cooking time. Leave to cool in the tin.
6. When cold wrap in 2 layers of new greaseproof and tinfoil.
7. You can feed the cake every week with a tablespoon or 2 of brandy/rum. Prick the top of the cake with a skewer and drizzle the booze over it.

1. Mix the castor sugar, the icing sugar and the almonds thoroughly together in a bowl. Pour in the lightly beaten eggs, add the other liquids and work to a smooth paste.
2. Warm some apricot jam and paste it on to cake (top and sides) with a pastry brush.
3. Roll out on castor sugar in to a round.
4. Lift on to top of cake and push gently down to cover all the side.

If baking, bake in an oven for 10 mins at 180 degrees.
If putting white icing on top, brush top with boiled water/gin/vodka and put icing on. Smooth it down with hands covered in cornflour or icing sugar.