1. Place dried fruit, grated apple, butter, brandy, Cointreau, brown sugar and spices into a large saucepan on medium heat, induction setting 6, until the butter has melted. Stir all ingredients together and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
2. Add the bi-carb soda to the hot mixture and stir through. The mixture will expand.
3. Set the fruit mixture aside until it cools.
4. Line a 20cm square, or 22cm round cake tin with two layers of baking paper. Ensure the baking paper has a 5cm collar above the tin edge.
5. Preheat oven on Conventional at 130°C.
6. Add sifted flours, cocoa, eggs and marmalade to the cooled mixture and thoroughly combine.
7. Pour into prepared cake tin, smoothing the top with a wet palette knife or wet hand.
8. Arrange the almonds decoratively on the top of the cake.
9. Place into the oven on shelf position 2 and bake for 3–3½ hours, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
10. Cool completely before cutting. This cake is best stored in the refrigerator.

Dialog oven:

• Preheat the Dialog oven on M Chef + Conventional at 150°C + GU: Gentle Intensity.
• Cook cake for 1 hour and 20 minutes and continue steps as above.

• Traditionally Christmas cake is made in advance and then ‘fed’ with alcohol or fruit juice every fortnight in the lead-up to Christmas, feeding no more than four times during the maturation period.
• The cake can be fed using rum, brandy, whisky, liqueurs or fortified wine such as Madeira or port.