From Ann Blair

CHRISTMAS CAKE

 8oz margarine or butter  
 8oz soft brown sugar  
 4 eggs  
 8oz sultanas/currants  
 8oz plain flour  
 2oz self-raising flour  
 8oz raisins (chopped)  
 pinch of salt  
 4oz mixed peel  
 4oz halved glace cherries  
 2 level teaspoons mixed spice  
 2oz almonds  

Cream marg and sugar til light and fluffy, add slightly beaten eggs
gradually, beating well after each addition.  Fold in seived flour and
salt with a metal spoon.  Lastly add teh fruit, nuts and flavouring and
mix well together (this is best mixed with the hands as it is heavy with
fruit).

Bake in a 9 inch cake tin lined with ungreased greaseproof paper at 140 C
(275 F, gas mark 1) for 2-4 hours (until a skewer comes out clean).

The cake is improved by the addition of brandy: cook and cool, make
holes in the bottom, pour in brandy.  Repeat.

Keep wrapped in kitchen foil in an airtight tin.

To ice:

Brush cake with seived apricot jam, roll out marzipan, cut to size using
tin as a guide and cover the top of the cake.  Roll out a long strip and
fit around the side of the cake.

Make royla icing (or buy pre-packed) and apply to marzipan starting in
the centre of the top and working outwards in a spiral (turn the cake,
not the room).

If you want a smooth finish wet a palate knife and sweep in the same
spiral to finish off.