TROPICAL CHRISTMAS CAKE

Blend the pineapple and juice then put into a large pan with the sugar, butter, dried fruit, orange zest, rum and glace cherries; heat the mixture over a low heat, stirring until the butter has melted; then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then to plump the fruit; remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool completely

Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas5 and lightly butter a 20cm round cake tin; then line the base and sides with 2 layers of baking paper

Once the mixture has cooled, mix in the eggs, coconut, almonds and brazil nuts; sift the flour and fold it in together with the mixed spice

Transfer to the prepared tin and smooth it down with the back of a spoon; bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean; leave the cake to cool on a wire rack before removing from the tin

To decorate the cake put the muscovado sugar and butter in a pan; heat gently until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved; boil for 1 minute; add the rum and vanilla and mix well; remove from the heat and beat in the sifted icing sugar, until smooth; transfer to a bowl and leave to cool for 10 minutes, stirring frequently

Turn the cake upside down to give a flat surface; pour the icing over the top of the cake allowing it to gently drip down the sides

Lightly oil a sheet of foil; put the caster sugar in a pan and heat gently until the sugar begins to caramelise around the edge of the pan; shake the pan and draw a spoon through it once or twice only – don’t stir- until all the sugar has turned golden brown; pour onto the foil and eave to set for 15 minutes

Break up the caramel and arrange on the cake with the tea light in between to create a flame effect; do not use a real candle as the sugar could catch fire; put the star anise on top and finish off with some glitter