Darina Allen’s Christmas Cake with Toasted Almond Paste

This makes a moist cake which keeps very well. I have a passion for almond icing, so I ‘ice’ the cake with almond icing and decorate it with heart shapes made from the almond paste. Then I brush it with beaten egg yolk and toast it in the oven — simply delicious!

225g (8 ozs) butter 225 g (8 ozs) pale, soft-brown sugar or golden castor sugar 6 organic free-range eggs 285g (10 ozs) flour 1 tsp mixed spice 65 ml (2½ fl ozs) Irish whiskey 340 g (12 ozs) best-quality sultanas 340 g (12 ozs) best-quality currants 340 g (12 ozs) best-quality raisins 110 g (4ozs) real glacé cherries 110 g (4ozs) homemade candied peel 55 g (2 ozs) ground almonds 55 g (2 ozs) whole almonds Rind of 1 organic unwaxed lemon Rind of 1 organic unwaxed orange 1 large or 2 small Bramley Seedling apples, grated

Line the base and sides of a 9 inch (23 cm) round, or an 8 inch (20.5 cm) square tin, with brown paper and greaseproof paper.