Spiced apple and cider fruit cake

With a sprinkle of festive spice, a generous addition of fruit and a splash of booze, this seasonal fruit cake makes the perfect treat any time of day says Philippa Davis

If you would like to use an English brandy instead I highly recommend the Somerset Cider Brandy Company, which also makes super cider under the Burrow Hill label. My other cider picks include Worleys (Somerset), Butford Organics (Hereford) and Cranborne Chase (Dorset).

Much like a classic tea bread, this cake is delicious cut into generous slices and spread with salted butter before enjoying with a pot of tea or glass of sherry.

Makes around 8 slices per cake. (You might also like to read: How to make Welsh cakes.)

Spiced apple and cider fruit cake

Ingredients

• 200g sultanas
• 50g raisins
• 50g mixed peel
• 250g cider
• 200g cooking apple (skin on), coarsely grated
• 3 tbsp calvados or brandy
• 250g self-raising flour
• 150g light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 2 eggs, beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/Gas Mark 4 and line two 1lb loaf tins. Put the sultanas, raisins and mixed peel in a small saucepan and pour over the cider.
2. Bring to a low simmer, place on a lid and cook gently for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the grated apple, calvados or brandy and leave to cool for 10 minutes with the lid off.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and mixed spice.
4. Stir in the fruit, cider and eggs then pour evenly into the two tins. Bake on a low to middle shelf for 1 hour or until a cake skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then wrap. This cake will last around a week if kept in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. It also freezes well.

Tip: For long bakes I always place a flat baking sheet on the rack above the cakes in the oven to help stop the top of the cake from browning too quickly.