I have been baking for… 13 years

My first Christmas cake was baked… in the Christmas of 2005.

I was led to baking by… my mother Juliet Johnson, who used to bake every Sunday.

The most challenging aspect of Christmas cake baking is… getting the right texture, so the cake is crumbly instead of solid.

What makes my Christmas cake special is… the flambé technique I use on the fruits to infuse some roasted flavour in the cake. (Rum is added to the fruits and then lit.)

My must-have ingredient is… Anchor butter as this butter adds flavour to the cake daily.

Recipe:

1 lb butter

2 ½ cups sugar

8 eggs

4 cups flour

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

3/4 bottle Benjamin’s browning

3 lbs blended fruits

Flavouring to taste (vanilla, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg) etc

Rum to taste

Method:

• Cream butter and sugar on medium speed.

• After butter is creamed, add eggs one a time making sure each egg is incorporated before the other is added.

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Add fruits, flavourings and browning.

• Mix and pour into a large stainless-steel bowl.

• In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients. Using a spatula fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture a cup at a time.

• Bake in oven for 1 — 1½ hrs. Use a toothpick to check doneness. When the toothpick comes out clean the cake is ready.