Classic Fruitcake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 3/4 cup ground almonds
• 2 cups premium flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup + 0.5 cup sweet sherry or brandy
• 1 cup chopped pecans + 1.5 cups whole pecans for garnish (optional)
• 1 cup diced candied orange peel, 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger peel, 1 cup chopped candied pineapple peel
• 1 cup light raisins, 0.5 cup dark raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pitted prunes
• 0.5 cups dried cherries
• 1 cup sweet sherry or brandy
• 0.5 cups orange juice
• 1 tbsp finely grated orange zest, 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger root

Preparation:

1. Soak the fruitsMix all the candied and dried fruits with sherry (or brandy), orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, and ginger. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight, or up to 3 days, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 150°C and grease 2 x 22cm cake tins.
3. Beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the ground almonds.
4. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt and fold into the batter. Stir in 1/4 cup sherry or brandy. Then add the chopped pecans and soaked dried fruit, mixing well to coat the fruit.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and spread it evenly, smoothing the surface. If desired, you can arrange whole nuts around the edge of the batter in a ring. Bake the cakes for 2 hours and 15 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Brush the still-warm tops of the fruitcakes with a little of the remaining sherry or brandy. As the cakes cool, brush them with the spirit 1-2 more times, then remove from the pans and wrap tightly.
   
   Fruit muffins can be stored in a cool place for up to 8 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months..