In my warm, wet, sometimes humid part of the world, I love all things winter. The rum fruitcake (which is a Christmas staple & sometimes baked even without the rum) tops the list. It is rich and decadent (calories be damned!) – with a fruitcake like that you're (and take my word for it) in great company 

Here's the 'how to':

Ingredients:

a. 75 gm sultanas
b. 75 gm black currants
c. 100 gm roughly chopped dried apricots
d. 200 gm dates (de-seeded)
e. 75 gm cashew nuts (roughly chopped)
f. 75 gm walnuts (roughly chopped)
g. 75 gm almonds (roughly chopped)
h. 1 tbsp freshly grated orange peel
i. 1 cup dark rum (or brandy). Use 1 cup fresh orange juice (instead of the rum) if you prefer the non-alcoholic version.

In a deep glass bowl, soak all the dry fruits in the liquor. Cover with plastic wrap or cling film and refrigerate for 2 weeks.

For the batter, you'll need:

a. 175 gm plain flour
b. 120 gm demerera sugar plus a little confectioner's sugar for dusting
c. 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
d. 1 tbsp strong coffee liqueur
e. 1 cup vegetable oil plus 30 gm butter (frozen & roughly chopped)
f. 1 cup breadcrumbs
g. 1 tsp baking powder plus half a tsp cooking soda
h. 1 tsp powdered cinnamon
i. 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
j. 2 tsp vanilla essence

In a large bowl, sieve in the flour, baking powder and cooking soda. Add the chopped pieces of frozen butter. Mix lightly with your hands until well blended. Put in the breadcrumbs and the cinnamon powder. Set aside.
With an electric mixer cream the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy. Midway through the process, drizzle in the oil and blend until well incorporated. Add the coffee liqueur, vanilla essence and orange juice. Slowly fold in the flour (mixed with breadcrumbs, powdered cinnamon etc.) with a light and gentle hand. Now add the dry fruits soaked in rum (preserve any excess liquid for later use). The fruits should have soaked plump in the liquor by now.
Line a round 10" round cake tin with parchment paper greasing the insides with melted butter. Add a tbsp of flour and shake it around the tin tipping out the excess. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Knock out air bubbles by beating the sides of the tin with a heavy mallet.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 165 degree Celsius/ 325 degree Fahrenheit/ Gas Mark 3 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean. Once done, keep the cake in the hot oven for about 5 more minutes. Cool it on a wire rack. When cooled completely, baste the cake with either any leftover rum (from the soaked fruits) or 1-2tbsp fresh liquor. You can even drill little holes in the cake with a skewer and 'feed' it with rum.

Before serving, decorate as you please

Merry Christmas!

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