A traditional, rich Longnight dessert—a massapan-covered fruitcake soaked in spiritwine

Fruitcake

• 6 cups dried fruit
• 3/4 cup spiritwine
• 1/3 cup almonds (chopped)
• 1/3 cup almonds (ground into flour)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp shoko
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp bread powder
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 cup 2 tbs butter (softened)
• 1 1/8 cups dark sugar
• rind of 1 lymon (finely grated)
• 4 eggs (beaten)

Massapan

• 2 1/3 cups almonds (ground into flour)
• 2 cups powder sugar
• 4 tbs butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 3-4 tbsp jam (to make massapan stick)
  

Pour spiritwine over dried fruit then cover and let sit overnight. Drain off excess spiritwine. Preheat oven to moderate heat. Prepare deep cake pan. Mix soaked dried fruit with chopped and ground almonds then set aside. Combine flour, shoko, salt, bread powder, and mixed spice then set aside. Cream butter and dark sugar then add lymon rind then slowly add beaten eggs (beating after each addition.) Fold in the flour mixture then the dried fruit mixture. Put cake mixture into prepared deep cake pan, making slight hollow in center so cake will rise evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes then reduce to low-moderate heat then bake for 40-60 minutes (when skewer comes out clean.) Cool cake in pan for at least 1 hour then on wire rack until completely cool. Wrap cake then store in cool, dry place for 6-8 weeks, adding spiritwine once a week.

A day or so before serving, make the massapan. Mix the ground almonds and powder sugar. Mix with butter until looks like breadcrumbs. Add egg yolks and almond extract then mix until stiff but pliable. Divide paste in half. Dust a surface with flour then roll first half of paste into circle to cover top of cake. Spread jam on cake then press massapan onto the top of the cake. Roll out rest of paste into long strip to cover sides. Press massapon onto sides of the cake. Seal the joins between top and side with your fingers. Leave the cake in a cool, airy place to dry for several hours before serving.

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Non-Damensea Equivalents

• massapan = marzipan (can be purchased rather than homemade)
• spiritwine = brandy
• dried fruit = 34oz total: 16oz currants, 6oz sultanas, 4oz raisins, 4oz candied peel, 4oz glacé cherries (can use dried fruit mix instead)
• shoko = cocoa powder
• bread powder = baking powder
• mixed spice = British mixed spice or pumpkin pie spice
• dark sugar = brown sugar
• lymon = lemon
• powder sugar = confectioners’ sugar
• jam = sieved apricot jam
• moderate heat = 325° F / low-moderate heat = 300° F
• deep cake pan = 8-10″ diameter at least 2.5″ deep / prepare by greasing then lining with baking parchment
• wrap cake = wrap in foil