• Pre-heat the oven to 300F/150C/130C Fan and line a deep 20cm cake tine with baking parchment. Line it with a double layer. Line the inside of the cake tin with two layers for the base and one layer around the inside of the tin. Tie a further layer around the outside of the tin. It needs to be approximately 5cm or 2 inches taller than the tin itself. You also need to cut one piece of parchment to act as a cover for the top.
• Add the fruit to a saucepan along with the brandy (orange juice if you prefer), the zest and juice of a lemon and orange and bring it to the boil on medium heat. Stir the fruit for a couple of minutes and then turn off the heat and allow it to cool down. Most of the liquid should have been absorbed.
• Add the butter and sugar to a roomy mixing bowl and cream them together until nice and fluffy.
• Add the baking powder to the flour and combine. Break the eggs into another bowl and beat them briefly.
• Begin mixing the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar and add a little flour at the same time. It helps prevent the mixture from curdling. (It looks as if the mixture has split. If it does - don't worry it will be make a wonderful cake.) Keep doing this until all of the egg and the flour have been incorporated.
• Mix the spices into the fruit mixture and add all of this to the flour and egg mix along with the almonds. Combine throughly.
• Carefully spoon the cake mixture into the cake tin and use the spoon/spatula to spread the mixture across the baking tin. Once all of the mixture is in the tin smooth it down a little and add the piece of baking parchment that you cut for the top earlier, to the top.
• Bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours and check that the top isn't browning too much. If it is, add another layer of parchment to protect it. Bake for a further 30 minutes and test with a skewer to see if the cake is done.
• Once baked, leave the cake to cool for about half an hour and then remove it from the tin to allow it to completely cool down.

Cover the cake with marzipan

• Spread some warmed apricot jam or shredless marmalade on the top and sides of the cake.
• Roll out enough marzipan to make a top. Use the bottom of cake tin as a template if that helps. Roll out the marzipan as thick or thin as you like it.
• Add the top to the cake. The jam/marmalade acts a glue to keep it there.
• Roll out long strips to cover the sides of the cake. Press around the cake with your fingers and trim off any excess with a knife.

Making the Royal Icing

• If you are using egg whites then you need to whisk them, adding the lemon juice, the glycerine and the sieved icing sugar.
  1 lemon - zest and juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons glycerine, 3 egg whites, 5 cups icing sugar
• If you're using egg white replacements, make them up according to the packet instructions. You need the equivalent of 3 egg whites for this amount of icing sugar.
• Gradually add the lemon juice, glycerine and sieved icing sugar to the egg white replacers.
• Whisk until the icing is thick and glossy.
• If it is so thick that you are struggling to mix all of the icing sugar into the eggs whites, add a little more lemon juice or a scant teaspoon of water and try again. It needs to be thick but not so thick that it's not holding on to all the icing sugar.
• Using a palette knife, roughly spread the icing over the cake top and spread it down the sides. Once you are happy that the whole cake is covered, take a teaspoon or a fork and create little peaks and troughs in the icing, creating a snow scene effect.
• Add any other decorations, add a festive ribbon around the sides or leave as it is. Leave somewhere safe for the icing to firm up. Enjoy!