CHRISTMAS CAKE

This recipe has never failed me . Preheat your oven to 160 deg C Grease and line with baking paper a 23cm round loose bottomed pan . Beat together in a bowl with an electric beater 185gm of softened buter / marg with 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar until mixed and creamy , then add 250 gm of room temp cream cheese and 1 dsp of vanilla extract , mix until well blended . Beat 4 eggs together in a separate bowl and add a little of these at a time to the butter mixture , beating well after each addition . In a separate bowl mix together 1 and 1/2 tsp of baking powder with 2 cups of plain flour and 1/2 tsp of salt . Now add the flour mix to the egg and butter mixture . Fold in 2 cups of mixed fruit , 1/4 cup of granulated nuts and 1 dsp of grated orange rind . Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes . Remove the pan from the oven and let sit in the pan for 10 minutes and then undo the pan and turn onto a wire cooling rack . To serve sift icing sugar over the top of the cake and dress with a mixture of glace fruits ( optional ) , dress the serving plate with holly and berry decorations , again optional .