Ingredients

• 200g/7oz plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 200g/7oz rye flour
• 4 tsp ground cloves
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 200g/7oz caster sugar
• 100g/4oz clear honey
• 225g/8oz butter
• 225g/8oz raisins
• 100g/4oz dates, stoned and chopped
• 100g/4oz pitted prunes, chopped
• 100g/4oz dried figs, chopped
• 50g/2oz mixed peel
• 50g/2oz flaked almonds
• 25g/1oz pecans, chopped
• 25g/1oz brazil nuts, chopped
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 25g/1oz dried figs, sliced, for decoration
• 50g/2oz mixture of whole brazil nuts, almonds and pecans, for decoration
•   clear honey, for brushing
• 100g/4oz red marzipan
• 25g/1oz green marzipan
•   icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Grease and line a deep 20cm/8in square cake tin. Sift flour and baking powder, then stir in the rye flour and spices. Gently heat sugar, honey and butter in a pan, stirring until the butter melts; cool slightly.
2. Add dried fruit, peel and nuts to the flour; mix well. Make a well in the centre; add the eggs and melted mixture. Beat well.
3. Spoon into tin and smooth top. Arrange figs and nuts diagonally in lines across the surface, leaving gaps for the marzipan strips. Bake for 2.5–3 hours (if it starts to brown, loosely cover with foil) until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes; turn out and cool on a wire rack.
4. Using string, measure spaces between figs and nuts and down sides of the cake. When cold, brush gaps with honey. Lightly dust work surface with icing sugar and roll out red marzipan. Cut out three strips to fit gaps and sides. Roll out green marzipan. Cut three thin strips, about 5mm/¼in wide. Attach to red strips with honey; lay on the cake so that the strips continue down the sides as if it is wrapped in ribbon.

Notes