Gluten Free Christmas Cake Ring

Fruit Cake

1. Weigh the raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, mixed peel and cranberries into a bowl.
2. Add the sherry, stir to mix and set aside overnight if possible.
3. Pre-heat the oven.
4. Cut a 300mm/12” square of parchment, greaseproof or brown paper, fold the corners to meet in the middle, press to make folded flaps and save for later.
5. Rub some oil around the inside of a deep 20cm/8" round cake tin and the outside of a 10cm/4” round cake tin.
6. Line the base and inside edges of the 20cm/8" cake tin and the outside edges of the 10cm/4” cake tin with parchment.
7. Stand the smaller tin inside the larger tin.
8. Sieve the flour and mixed spice into a bowl, set aside.
9. Put the butter and sugar into another large mixing bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.
10. Break the eggs into the bowl one at a time, ensuring each is well incorporated before adding the next. Or mix together the chickpea flour, xanthan and water and add this instead.
11. Add the prepared flour followed by the 1 tbsp water and mix together well.
12. Stir in the prepared fruit.
13. Tip the mixture into the circular space between the two prepared tins.
14. Push the mixture down and smoothing the top, ensuring that the smaller tin is central.
15. Place the prepared paper square over the cake tin with the folded flaps pointing down to loosely cover the tin when it goes into the oven.
16. Bake for 2-2¼ hours.
17. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 12 hours.
18. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack.
19. When quite cold, wrap the cake tightly in aluminium foil and store in an airtight tin for up to 6 weeks.

Candied Citrus

1. Cut the citrus into 3mm ⅛” thin slices.
2. Put the granulated sugar and water into a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until dissolved.
3. Add the sliced citrus to the syrup, simmer gently for about two hours then leave to cool in the syrup.
4. Pre-heat the oven and line a baking tray with a baking liner or parchment.
5. Drain the satsuma slices and lay them on the prepared baking tray.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Turn the slices over and bake for a further 20 minutes.
8. Leave to cool.

Icing

1. Measure the icing sugar and two spoons of orange juice into a bowl, stir to combine adding additional drops of the orange juice to make a stiff mixture that just starts to flow.
2. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cold cake.
3. Press the prepared satsuma slices on top of the icing.