Glad Shute's Christmas Fruit Cake

Ingredients:
1.375 kg mixed fruit
250g butter
1 3/4 cups of brown sugar
2 level tblsp golden syrup
3/4 cup water
1 cup of sherry
1 level tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Stage 2
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sherry
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp lemon essence
1/2 tsp almond essence
1 level tsp bicarb soda
1 tblsp hot water
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup almonds - chopped
2 tblsp sherry or rum

Method:
Stage 1
Put the first 10 ingredients into a saucepan then bring to the boil and boil for about three minutes.
Leave to cool.
Stage 2
When Stage 1 has cooled, add the well-beaten eggs, the sherry and the essences.
Dissolve the bicarb of soda in the hot water and stir that in to the mixture then fold in the sifted flour and nuts.

That's enough for a 23cm tin or two smaller cakes (20cm and 18cm).
Line the tins with baking paper and be careful with the lining.
Bake in a slow oven at 160 degrees for 3 hours and put brown paper over the top of the cake while it is in the oven.
When the cake comes out of the oven, pour the last three tablespoons of sherry or rum over the top of the hot cake.
Allow to cool in the tin then wrap in a small bath towel until completely cold
(Glad wraps her cakes in bath towels and puts them on the spare bed to cool).
Once cool, wrap it up in foil, then put in a cake tin and store it.
Will last for 12 months