Creole Christmas Cake

Thanks for all the positive comments on yesterday's experiment. It's very easy to get into a rut of taking the same sort of photographs, especially when there are lots of other activities competing for our creative energy.But I always find a change is as good as a rest, so expect more unusual subjects!

Today I've not ventured out, which also made a pleasant change. I hoovered the downstairs, tidied a cupboard, made leek and potato soup for lunch and finally got around to baking the first of our two planned Christmas cakes. The boys don't like rich fruit cakes, and I shouldn't eat very much of it, so this is mostly made for Pete.

I've used a slightly different recipe from normal, which has involved pre-soaking the fruit and nuts in an alcoholic cocktail of port, rum, brandy, cherry brandy and Angostura bitters for a week to ten days. It's actually a very simple cake to make, and has turned out perfectly after four hours in the oven at a low heat. Thankfully, with all the presoaking, there's no need to feed this cake, which is just as well as I nearly always forget to do it once it's wrapped up in its cake tin!

If anyone would like to have a go at making it, the recipe can be found here.