Gluten-free Christmas cake

Method

1. Put the citrus fruit into a stainless steel saucepan, cover with cold water bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes to one hour or until tender. Drain off the water and allow to cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

3. Put the dried fruit and quartered cherries in a bowl. Cut the citrus fruit in half, discard the pips, whizz for a few seconds in a food processor or chop coarsely, add the whiskey or brandy, stir and pour over the dried fruit.

4. Cream the soft butter, add the dark soft brown sugar and beat until soft and pale, add the eggs one by one, beating well between each addition, stir in the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder and spices.

5. Finally add the fruit and fold in gently but thoroughly. Pour into the tin and smooth the top with a wet spoon.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 140°C for a further 40 or 50 minutes or until fully cooked. You could loosely cover the top of the cake with a sheet of parchment for the final 20 minutes to prevent it from burning.

7. Allow to cool before turning out of the tin.

8. For the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add the water and mix to a stiffish icing. Pour into the centre of the cake, it will spread to the edges and drip appetisingly down the sides. Decorate with diamonds of angelica, candied peel, dried cranberries and toasted almonds.