Gluten-Free Christmas Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1kg mixed dried fruit

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

2/3 cup (160ml) sweet sherry

150 grams butter, softened

2/3 cup (150g) dark brown sugar

4 eggs

100g marzipan. chopped into 1/2cm-1cm cubes

1 small (130g) apple, grated coarsely

3/4 cup (100g) almond meal

1 1/4 cups (185g) gluten-free plain flour

METHOD:

-Combine fruit, rind and sherry in a large bowl; mix well. Cover and stand overnight or for several days. (If you run short of time, combine fruit, rind and sherry and microwave on MEDIUM for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until sherry is absorbed. Cool completely before proceeding with recipe.

-Preheat the oven to 140 degrees (120 degrees fan-forced). Grease and line the bases and sides of four 9.5cm square cake pans with two layers of brown paper and two layers of baking paper, bringing paper 4cm above the edge of pans.

-Beat the butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until just combined between additions. Add butter mixture to fruit mixture; mix well. Stir in marzipan, apple, almond meal and sifted flour; mix well.

-Spread evenly into prepared pans. Bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes or until cooked when tested. Cover cakes tightly with foil, Cool in pan.