Ingredients

• 100g/3½oz soya margarine (or whatever kind of butter you like)
• 1 large ripe banana
• 2 large lemons
• finely grated rind and juice only
• 100g/3½oz soft prunes
• stoned and halved
• 75g/3oz raisins
• 75g/3oz sultanas
• 75g/3oz currants
• 150g/5oz soft dried apricots
• chopped in fairly large pieces
• 50g/2oz mixed peel
• 75g/2½oz walnuts
• halved and 25g/¾oz hazelnuts
• chopped OR 75g/3oz large pumpkin seeds and 25g/¾oz sunflower seeds
• 2 eggs (or 2 level tsp gluten-free baking powder to make an egg-free cake)
• 75g/2½oz coarse polenta and 75g/2½oz rice flour and 1 level tsp xanthan gum OR 150g gluten-free flour that already includes xanthan gum
• 2 heaped tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 heaped tsp ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tbsp brandy (optional)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.
• In a food processor beat the butter/margarine with the banana and the lemon juice and rind. Pour into a bowl.
• Mix in the dried fruit and nuts or seeds.
• Beat the eggs if you are using them.
• Sieve which ever flours you are using with the baking powder (if you are substituting it for the eggs) and the spices.
• Fold the eggs (if you are using them) into the fruit mixture alternately with the flours. Add some brandy if you like.
• Line a 20cm/8in cake tin with greased greaseproof paper. Spoon the mixture in and level off the top.
• Bake for about two hours or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Remove from the tin and cool on a rack.
• Eat as it is or store to be iced for Christmas. You can also decorate this cake with whole nuts such as almonds.