Christmas Cake - as made by Sylvia Drake's friend

Ingredients:
3/4lb (340g) butter
3/4lb (340g) brown sugar
6 eggs
1 heaped Tsp marmalade
1 heaped Tsp treacle
1dsp vanilla essence
3/4 tsp almond essence
2 dsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Small pinch of salt
17oz (482g) plain flour
3oz (85g) SR flour
2 kg  mixed fruit
3/4 cup sweet sherry

Combine dried fruit, sherry,spices and essences - stand overnight.
Cream butter and sugar then add marmalade and treacle.
Add eggs then flour and fruit.

Put mix into a well lined 10" (25cm) cake tin.
Smooth over with wet hands.

Cook for 4 hours at 150C.

If cooking a multi tiered cake this is the amount of mix for the middle and top tier

Ice upside down.

Cassatta

1st Layer:

2 eggs separated
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
1/2 cup cream
Almond Essence - few drops

A)Beat egg whites and sugar. Fold in lightly beaten egg yolks.
B)Beat cream with essence
C)Fold A & B together.
Freeze in 20cm tin

2nd Layer

2 eggs separated
1/2 cup Icing sugar
1/2 cup cream
60g dark chocolate
2Tsp cocoa
3 Tsp hot water

A)beat egg whites and sugar
B)Whip cream
C)Melt chocolate, stir in egg yolks
D)Combine cocoa and water

Combine C & D
Mix this into B
Fold this into A

Pour on top of frozen 1st Layer - return to freezer

3rd Layer:

A)1 cup cream &1tsp vanilla essence - beat together
B)1 egg white & 4 Tsp Icing sugar - beat together
C)2 Tsp red glace cherries
1 Tsp green glace cherries
4 dried apricots
2 glace pineapple rings (or dried equivalent)
30g toasted flaked almonds

Chop all fruit (C).Stir A & B together and fold fruit and nuts in.

Spread into tin on top of other frozen layers.

Return to freezer.

To serve - turn out onto plate

PS I sometimes line the tin with cling wrap. I usually double the recipe if I'm serving a large number.