Celebration Christmas Cakes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 cups golden raisins
1 3/4 cups raisins
1 3/4 cups seeded dried dates
150 cup currants
1/4 cup candied mixed peel
2/3 cup red glace cherries
1/4 cup glace ginger
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp orange-flavored liqueur
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 None eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp mixed spice, such as pumpkin pie spice
2 lbs white fondant
1 None egg white
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup silver dragees
5 feet ribbon

Preparation

Chop all fruit the same size as the raisins. Combine fruit and 1/2 cup of the liqueur in large bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand overnight. (Macerate the fruit and liqueur for up to a month if time permits. Stir the fruit mixture each week.)
Preheat the oven to 300\u00b0F. Line two deep 6-inch square cake pans with three layers of parchment paper, extending paper 2 inches above sides of pans.
Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add butter mixture to fruit mixture; mix well. Stir in sifted flours and spice. Divide batter among prepared pans.
Bake cakes about 2 hours. Brush hot cakes with remaining 2 tbsp liqueur. Cover hot cakes in pan tightly with foil; turn upside down, on wire rack. Cool cakes overnight.
Trim tops of cakes, if necessary, to make flat. Mix 2 tbsp of the fondant with enough cold boiled water to make a sticky paste. Spread half of this mixture into the center of a sheet of parchment paper about 2 inches larger than the cake. Position cake, flat-side down, on paper. Repeat with second cake.
Using a metal spatula and small pieces of fonfant, patch any holes in the cakes
Preparing one cake at a time, brush egg white evenly over cake. Knead half the remaining fondant on surface dusted with the sifted powdered sugar until smooth. Roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Lift fondant onto cake with rolling pin, smoothing fondant over cake with hands dusted with powdered sugar. Cut excess fondant away from bottom of cake
Mix fondant scraps with cold boiled water to make a sticky paste. Spread half the paste in the center of a cake board; center cake on board. Cut away excess parchment paper around bottom of cake.
Gently push a 2 1/4-inch bell-shaped cutter into fondant in center of cake. Using a small sharp knife carefully remove the fondant inside the bell shape. Carefully fill bell shape with dragees.
Decorate the cake bottom with a ribbon, securing ends with craft glue. Let stand overnight until firm
Repeat with the second cake.