Chocolate Fruitcake

This cake is adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson

This version has no added sugar*, as the dried fruit provides enough sweetness.

The original recipe includes 175g dark muscovado sugar, and 175ml honey, so these can be added if you prefer your cakes to be sweeter.

The original also includes 125ml coffee liqueur, if you want a boozy hit. Cointreau or Amaretto also works well.

If not using these, extra orange juice can be added if the mix feels too dry.

Ingredients:

· 350g dried soft prunes, chopped

· 375g dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, cranberries, cherries, currants)

· 175g softened unsalted butter

· 2 oranges, juice and zest of

· 1 tsp mixed spice

· 2 Tbs cocoa

· 3 free range eggs, beaten

· 150g plain flour

· 75g ground almonds

· ½ tsp baking powder

· ½ tsp bicarb

Topping (optional)

· Dark chocolate (approx. 150g)

· White chocolate (approx. 100g)

*unless you cover with chocolate!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 150C.

2. Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm, 9cm deep, round loose bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.

3. When lining the sides, make the pieces (two strips is easier than one long strip) twice as high as the tin, to protect the cake from sticking as it rises.

4. In a large wide saucepan, place the dried fruit, butter, sugar and honey if using, liqueur if using, orange juice and zest, mixed spice, and cocoa.

5. Heat to a gentle boil, stirring as the butter melts. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove from the heat, and let it stand for 30 minutes.

6. After 30 minutes, add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and bicarb, and mix well with a wooden spoon.

7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for around 55 minutes to an hour. The cake should be firm with a shiny sticky look, and if a sharp knife is inserted into the middle it should still be a little uncooked, but not wet or raw.

8. Cool on a cooling rack before removing from the tin.

You can cover the cake with any topping you choose (traditional marzipan and icing would work), but a chocolate finish works very well.

Melt the dark and white chocolates separately in heatproof bowls over simmering water. Cover the cake with the dark chocolate, and use a piping bag to create decorations or words with the white chocolate.