• Put all the fruit mixture ingredients into bowl, mix and leave to stand overnight.
• Prepare the cake mix: sieve the gluten free flour, cinnamon.
• In separate bowl beat together the sugar and butter. Then beat in the eggs
• One at a time with the vanilla essence, adding a little of the gluten free flour mixture, then stir in the remaining flour and cinnamon mixture.
• Stir in the brandy/apple juice and then the fruit and nut mixture. Turn into the prepared tin.
• Sit the tin in the centre of a large piece of tinfoil (shiny side facing tin). Pull the foil up the sides of the cake tin to make tall, protective walls.
• Tie in place with piece of string. During baking when the top gets brown enough, these foil walls can be pulled together like a canopy to prevent, over-browning.
• Cook for one and a half to two hours. Test that a skewer comes out clean to ensure it's fully baked.
• When finished, cool in tin on a wire tray. Dribble a little whiskey over the top.

To decorate

• Brush with apricot jam. Arrange alternative rows of red and green cherries, interspersed with rows of walnuts, whole almonds and thin slices of crystallised ginger.
• Then brush with apricot glaze, made by heating apricot jam with a little
  water until syrupy.
• Cut the cake into small wedges to serve.