Whisky, fig and ginger Christmas cake

Method

1. Mix the dried fruit, cherries, stem ginger, mixed peel, 125ml whisky and the lemon zest in a bowl. Cover and set aside to soak overnight. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt into another bowl and stir in the ground almonds. Cover and set aside overnight alongside the fruit.
2. The next day, tie a thick, wide band of folded newspaper around the outside of the tin and secure it with string, then fold a newspaper into a rectangle and place it on a baking sheet (see tips, right). Heat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1 and set an oven rack towards the bottom of the oven.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer) until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Gradually add about half the beaten egg, beating well after each addition, then add a little at a time, adding 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture each time to prevent curdling, until all the egg has been added.
4. Gently mix in the remaining flour mixture, followed by the soaked fruits and all their juices and the chopped almonds.
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface, then make a slight indent in the centre.
6. Tear off a double thickness of non-stick baking paper, large enough to cover the top of the tin generously, and cut a £2 coin-size hole in the centre. Put the cake tin on top of the newspaper on the baking sheet and cover with the baking paper. Bake for 3½-3¾ hours. As ovens vary, check the cake after 3 hours – it’s done when a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
7. Leave the cake to cool in its tin. When cold, remove from the tin, sit the cake upside down on a wire rack, then peel off the baking paper. Prick the base here and there with a fine skewer, then brush with a tablespoon of the extra whisky. Leaving it bottom-side up, wrap tightly in non-stick baking paper, then in foil. Store in an airtight tin. Unwrap and brush with 1 tablespoon of whisky every 6-7 days until ready to eat or ice.