Line a 7” tin, and set the oven at 150°C / 300°F / Gas mark 2
Cream the butter & sugars(and treacle) together, using the beater, on a high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs slowly on a medium speed so as not to curdle the mixture.
Sieve the flour and spices together, slowly add into the butter and sugar mix.
Add the fruit gradually on a low speed (if you like you can leave the dried fruit to soak a few days before with a little sherry or brandy etc).
Give the mixture a final turn with your clean hands or a wooden spoon to make sure it’s properly mixed through.
Add the mixture to the tin, levelling & smoothing the top with the back of a spoon or wet closed fingers.
Place into the middle of the oven at 150°C / 300°F / Gas mark 2 for the time given above for your tin size.
Check the cake after 2.5hrs, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake if it comes out clean then the cake is done. If it needs a little more time pop it back in for another ten or fifteen minutes.
Remove from the oven, leave the cake in the tin on the top of the oven or on the side on a cooling rack to cool down.
When cool, tip the cake out of the tin and remove the first layer of paper leaving the greaseproof on the cake…you may add your brandy or sherry or rum to the cake and then wrap up in more greaseproof paper and then a sheet of aluminium foil.
Store in a cool dry place for a while to mature until needed for decoration. You can feed it once a week with a tablespoon of brandy.
