Additional Ingredients

150 grams	Butter unsalted
150 grams	Golden Icing Sugar (Billington's)
150 grams	Cream cheese
1 tbsp	Brandy, or ginger wine or sherry

How to make Christmas cakes with brandy frosting

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1. Put the dried fruit into a bowl, add the dark rum and sherry and stir everything together. Cover and ideally leave to soak for up to a week.
2. Grease and line the base and sides of 10 x 7.5cm 3inch cooking rings. Preheat the oven the oven to 180°C/ 170°C fan / gas mark 4.
3. Cream the butter and Molasses Sugar together in a bowl with a hand held mixer until soft and fluffy.
4. Gradually add the eggs a little at a time, adding 2 tablespoons of Allinson Wholemeal Self Raising Flour to stop the mixture curdling.
5. Sift in the remaining flour and mixed spice, then fold in the stem ginger.
6. Put half the macerated fruit into a processor and whizz until it’s smooth.
7. Add to the flour with the rest of the fruit and boozy liquid. Fold everything together. Spoon into prepared tin, smoothing over the surface, leaving a slight dip in the surface.
8. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool in the tins. Remove rings and wrap in foil and put into an airtight container until needed.
9. For fresh brandy frosting, put 150 g (5 oz) each of unsalted butter, Unrefined Golden Icing Sugar and cream cheese into a processor with 1 tablespoon of brandy, ginger wine or sherry. Whizz together until blended.
10. Use a palette knife to spread the icing over the top of the cake, smoothing and peaking. Wrap a ribbon around the sides if liked to decorate.

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