• 2.25 kg Sultanas
• 600 gram Fruit Peel
• 750 gram Dried Apricots (chopped)
• 750 gram Prunes (chopped)
• 600 gram Currants
• 600 gram Walnuts (chopped)
• 750 gram Raisins
• 600 gram Glazed Cherries (chopped)
• 600 gram Tinned Pineapple (chopped)
• 3 grated apples
• 3 carrots (grated)
• 6 cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tea Spoons Cinnamon
• 3 Tea Spoons Nutmeg
• 3 Tea Spoons Mixed Spice
• 6 Table spoons Honey
• 2.25 cups Sherry
• 2.25 cups Port

Tip: Dried fruit best purchased at a Cash and Carry as we found this reduces the cost of the cake.

Marinate all the ingredients in a very large bowl (45 cm) for at least a week covered with 2 layers of glad wrap. You need to stir this up every day during this period.

• 1.25 kg of Girgar butter (melted)
• 18 eggs (beaten)
• 8.25 cups plain flour (sifted)
• 3 cups self raising flour (sifted)
• 3 spring form cake tins (1 x 24 cm, 1 x 26 cm, and 1 x 28 cm)

Note: This mixture will make 4 cakes as it's best to have a spare just in case, and you can always use the fourth for something else if not needed 🙂

1. Grease and line the three cake tins with baking paper.
2. Mix the cake ingredients into the fruit mix making sure it's mixed well.
3. Flatten with a fork
4. Bake for 140 minutes at 145C and then finish of at 130C for 125 minutes or until the center is cooked and skewer comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool in cake tin over night before removing from tin
6. Wrap in foil once cold

• 3 kg Royal Icing
• 11 packets of 250 gram Marzipan
• 1 kg of Apricot Jam

1. Fill in any holes in the cake with apricot jam to get a smooth surface
2. Marzipan on top and sides till the cake is level, even and smooth
3. Leave dry for 3 days
4. Turn cake over and make a bridge for the bottom and make sure cake is level with sides and bottom (no gaps)
5. Leave dry for a further 3 days
6. Try and do these next steps (to step 11) in the early morning or late at night when the temperature is cooler to prevent cracking.
7. Roll out Marzipan on dusted bench with icing sugar till about 1cm thick and will visibly cover the entire cake in one layer.
8. Boil up 1 cup of apricot jam with a little water
9. Brush entire cake with apricot jam / water mix
10. Cover the cake from the top with the Marzipan using a pin to remove air bubbles.
11. Gently ease the Marzipan down to the bottom of the cake and trim evenly at the base
12. Repeat this for all three cakes
13. Let dry for a week
14. Repeat steps 6 through 13 but with the Royal Icing instead of the Marzipan. Remember this is the presentation layer so take extra care.
15. Once dry, adhere cakes to a cake board using apricot jam as the glue

1. Measure circumference of the cake with ribbon
2. Cut evenly
3. Position ribbon using small pins with heads the same colour as the ribbon.
4. Use pieces of thick wooden dowel for the stands
5. Cut the dowel to length making sure each on is exactly same length
6. Make a cross in the cake exactly where the stands will go
7. Using a knife, make a cross fully inserted to the bottom of the cake and careful remove any excess cake
8. Gently force the dowel into cake until the cake board is level and straight

You can use any decoration you like for the finished product. We used doves and some fresh African Lilies with stems removed as the centerpiece of the cake. Most cake shops have centerpieces to buy or order if you don't have the time to make it.