How to make Chocolate Fruit Cake with Caramelised Figs

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1. Put the raisins into a bowl and douse with the Rum. Cover the bowl and leave them to soak for 24 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 140°C/130°C fan/300°F/Mark 2.
3. In a large bowl cream the butter and both the dark muscavado and the mollases sugars.
4. Add the eggs in one at a time and if the mixture looks like it is going to split add a small amount of flour.
5. Melt the chocolate in to a bowl over hot water and add it to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Sift in the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir.
6. Add the lemon juice and Rum and mix together.
7. Gently fold in the soaked raisins, sultanas, peel and cherries.
8. Spoon the mix in to a greased and lined 22cm spring form cake tin.
9. Bake the cake for 1 – 1.5 hours depending on the oven.
10. Test if the cakes are cooked by putting a skewer through the middle. If it comes out clean the cake is done.
11. Remove from the cake tin, place on a cake rack and leave to cool before decorating
12. Topping: Bring the oven up to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Mark 4. Place the figs, which need sliced in to quarters, into a baking tray. Sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon and bake for 10 minutes until the juices start to ooze out of them. Place them straight away on the cake and drizzle on the juices, dust on some icing sugar and a few gold leaves to serve.

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