Christmas Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups currants
1 1/4 cups golden raisins
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1/2 cup red glace cherries, chopped
1/2 cup crystallised ginger, sliced
1/2 cup candied mixed peel
1/4 cup brandy, plus additional adding during storage
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mixed spice, such as pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 None eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup Brazil nuts, sliced
2 None lemons, peel finely grated
1 None orange, peel finely grated
1/2 cup milk, warmed
2/3 cup blanched almonds, for the top (optional)

Preparation

Soak fruit, ginger and peel in brandy overnight.
Line the bottom and sides of a deep 9-inch cake pan with a double thickness of parchment paper. Wrap a double thickness of thick plain brown paper around the outside of the pan and tie securely with string.
Preheat the oven to 275\u00b0F. Sift flour, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat eggs in a small bowl. Gradually beat into butter and sugar, adding 1 tbsp of dry ingredients every so often to prevent the mixture separating. Fold in remaining dry ingredients with a large spoon or spatula.
Fold in fruit and all the juices, nuts and lemon and orange peels. Stir in warmed milk. Spoon into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Arrange almonds on top.
Bake for 3 1/2-4 hours in the center of the oven until the cake is a deep golden brown, and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool for 1 hour in the pan. Remove from the pan, keeping parchment paper on; cool on a wire rack.
Return the cake to the pan for storage. Keep it well wrapped in a cool pantry. If desired, add a little brandy every week by making several holes in the cake with a skewer and dribbling in a little brandy, then rewrap cake.