Classic Christmas cake

Prepare the filling. Place the dried fruit in a large bowl and add the zest.

Fill with orange juice and good quality dark rum.

Mix well.

Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dried fruits sit for 14-15 days.

Place soft butter in a deep bowl.

Beat it with a mixer until fluffy.

Add brown sugar to the butter.

Beat until smooth.

Gradually add eggs to the butter mixture.

Mix everything thoroughly each time.

Add ground almonds to the resulting mass.

Sift flour on top.

Carefully stir the mixture until smooth, using a spatula.

Pour in orange juice.

Mix the mixture again.

Sift cocoa, baking powder, salt and chopped spices and add to the dough.

Mix the mixture thoroughly until smooth.

We get a tender creamy dough.

Add soaked dried fruits, candied fruits and nuts to the dough.

Mix everything carefully until smooth.

Transfer the dough into a pre-prepared pan and bake the cake at 150 degrees for 1.5-2 hours.

Check readiness with a wooden skewer.

Soak the top of the finished cake with rum and let it cool thoroughly.

An extremely tasty and aromatic Christmas cake is ready.