Every family member, young and old, should enjoy this contemporary, light recipe for a modern Christmas cake, courtesy of the Women's Institute

Ingredients
200g (7oz) ready to eat apricots
175g (6oz) ready to eat figs
110g (4oz) ready to eat mango
110g (4oz) ready to eat pineapple
200g (7 oz) glacé cherries
75g (3oz) sweetened dried blueberries
75g (3oz) sweetened dried cranberries
90 ml (6 tbsp) orange juice or brandy
5 ml (1 tsp) cinnamon
250g (9oz) butter
250g (9oz) molasses sugar
4 medium eggs
110g (4oz) almonds, roughly chopped
grated zest of an orange
75g (3oz) ground almonds
225g(8oz) plain flour
10 ml (2 tsp) mixed spice

Method:
Chop the apricots, figs, mango, pineapple and cherries coarsely, place into a large bowl with the blueberries and cranberries, stir in the orange juice or brandy, cover and leave to soak for at least 6 hours.

Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy and lighter in colour. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the nuts and orange zest. Sift together the flour and spices, add half to the creamed mixture with half the fruit mix well. Add the remaining flour and fruit mix thoroughly.

Place the mixture into a greased and lined 20 cm (8 inch) round deep cake tin and smooth the top. Bake electric oven preheated 150ºC middle shelf; gas oven preheated mark 2 middle shelf or cold fan oven 120ºC for 3 - 3½ hours until the cake is firm to the touch and dark golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap the cake in foil and store in a dry, cool place until required.

Our thanks to The Women's Institute for this great recipe.

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