Prune & armagnac Christmas star cake

Method

• step 1

  Tip all the dried fruit, stem ginger, citrus zests and juices, the alcohol, butter and brown sugar into a large saucepan. Warm over a medium heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 mins, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for 30 mins.

• step 2

  Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Butter the base and side of a deep 20cm round cake tin and double-line with baking parchment. Once the fruit mixture has cooled, stir in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Tip in the flour and spices, then fold in the almonds until the mixture is thick and evenly combined.

• step 3

  Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If it isn’t clean, put back in the oven and check again after 10 mins. Repeat until clean. Poke a skewer all over the top of the cake, then drizzle over 1-2 tbsp armagnac or brandy and leave to cool completely in the tin. If you want to get ahead, remove the cooled cake from the tin and wrap well before storing in an airtight container until you’re ready to ice or serve (up to three months). If keeping for longer than a few weeks, the cake can be fed with more armagnac or brandy every week, but don’t feed it the week before decorating or serving.

• step 4

  When ready to decorate, flip the cake onto a plate or board so the flat side is facing up. Use a little of the marzipan to fill any gaps between the rounded part of the cake and the plate or board, then brush the warmed apricot jam over the top and side. Roll the rest of the marzipan out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar until it’s large enough to cover the top and side of the cake – use a piece of string to help you measure, if needed. Carefully lift the marzipan over the cake using a rolling pin, then smooth it over the top and down the side using your palms. Trim any excess using a knife, then keep the offcuts covered with a tea towel so they don’t dry out.

• step 5

  Clean the work surface and rolling pin. Lightly brush water over the side of the cake using a pastry brush. Roll the fondant out as you did the marzipan, then smooth it over the cake as before to fully cover the marzipan. Trim the excess and cover the offcuts.

• step 6

  Roll out the marzipan and fondant offcuts separately, then stamp out star shapes in various sizes using biscuit cutters. Brush the backs of the stars lightly with water, then stick them onto the cake, mixing and matching the different sizes so some are stacked in twos and others in threes – this creates an eye-catching layered effect. You can also arrange them in a scattered pattern across just the top if you’d like to tie a decorative ribbon around the base of the cake. Once decorated, will keep in an airtight container for up to two months, or up to a few weeks once it has been sliced.