Sarah’s make ahead Christmas cake

Key points

• A make-ahead Christmas fruitcake improves with time, so it can be baked weeks before the festive season. Senior food editor Sarah Murphy says the cake should be fed with brandy or dark rum every two weeks until Christmas.
• The recipe calls for soaking dried fruit overnight, then baking the batter for three hours at 160°C. The cake is wrapped in baking paper and foil, then stored in a cool, dark cupboard away from sunlight.
• In hot homes, it should be kept in the fridge instead.