Gluten-Free Christmas Cakes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 cups golden raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup raisins
2 cups pitted dried dates, chopped
1/4 cup red glace cherries, quartered
3/4 cup candied fruit (such as orange, pineapple, apricot, peach), chopped
1/3 cup fig jam
1/2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tbsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup ginger beer
3/4 cup dark rum
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 None eggs, at room temperature
1 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup gluten-free plain flour
1/2 cup gluten-free self-rising flour
None None Walnuts, pecans, macadamias, blanched almonds, to decorate

Preparation

Combine the fruit, jam, citrus peels and spices in a large bowl. Add the ginger beer and 1/2 cup of the rum; stir to combine. Cover; let stand at room temperature for 24 hours or up to 1 week, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 325\u00b0F. Line the bottom and sides of 6 deep 4-inch round cake pans with 3 layers of parchment paper, extending paper about 1 1/2 inches over the edges of the pans.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Stir in the ground almonds and combined sifted flours, then the fruit mix. Spoon into prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Arrange nuts on the tops.
Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Brush tops of hot cakes with remaining 1/4 cup rum. Cover tightly with foil; wrap in clean tea towels. Cool in pans overnight. When cooled, turn cakes out and decorate with ribbon. The cakes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 months.