Grease and line a 7 or 8 inch, deep round cake tin and preheat the oven to gas 4 / 180C / 350F
Mix the flour, xanthan gum if using, bicarb of soda, mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl
Cut in the sunflower spread like you would if making pastry
Stir in the sugar, currants, sulranas, raisins, cherries, mixed peel and lemon zest
Add the milk and stir in just until the batter is smooth. Gluten-free batter may need up to 2 extra tablespoons of milk
Pour into the cake tin. Try and push the batter down a bit in the middle of the tin to encourage a more even rise while it bakes
Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour, then turn the heat down slightly to gas 3 / 160 / 325F for another 45 minutes or until the cake has pulled in from the sides of the tin and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and dry
Turn out and let cool on a wire rack
When completely cooled, prick all over the cake top with a cocktail stick and spoon 2 tablespoons of the Brandy / Cointreau evenly over. I find it easiest to do this back in the tin lined with clean parchment paper
Wrap and store in an airtight container for a week then repeat the pricking and 2 tbsp Brandy feeding. Do this until the Brandy is gone. At the end of the final week the cake is ready to eat! This cake will keep for up to 4 weeks from the day it's baked, 3 weeks for the gluten-free version so the GF is best made I feel on the 4th of December to make it perfect for Christmas Day
If you want to you can spread some apricot jam over the top of the cake and cover in a thin layer of marzipan then spread more jam over that before a final covering of white ready roll fondant icing and maybe some holly leaves or Christmas cake toppers
