Ingredients

175g/6oz butter
175g/6oz caster sugar
3 medium eggs, beaten
50g/2oz glazed cherries or candied lemon peel, finely chopped
125g/4oz dried apricots cut into small pieces
125g/4oz sultanas
125g/4oz brazil nuts, roughly chopped
125g/4oz plain flour
125g/4oz self raising flour
apricot jam, sieved and melted
zest of 1 lemon
250g/8oz marzipan and brazil nuts to decorate

Method

Line a 20.5cm (8 inch) round cake tin or a long cake tin with buttered greaseproof paper, or grease the inside of the tin and dust with flour.

Whisk the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, beating all the time.

Mix the chopped cherries, apricots, sultanas, chopped nuts and lemon zest together.

Sift the plain and self-raising flours and fold into the whisked mixture, then add the fruit and nuts. Spoon into the prepared tin.

Bake in the oven at 180°C (350°F) mark 4 for 1¼ hours (cover with foil after 40 minutes if the top is becoming too brown). Cool a little then turn out onto a wire rack.

Heat the apricot jam and sieve it in to a small bowl. Brush the top of the cake with the apricot glaze, and then cover with rolled-out marzipan. I found that rolling it between two sheets of cling film saves a lot of woe. Trim and crimp the edges and cut a diamond pattern. Place a sliced nut in each square. Grill the cake carefully until evenly browned.

Note that candied lemon peel can be used in place of the glazed cherries for an individual touch of lemon tang.