Weigh out all your ingredients. In a large saucepan put the dried fruit, butter, sugar, black treacle, orange zest, brandy, spices and chestnut puree. You might want to break the puree down a bit with a spoon before you put it in the saucepan to make it easier to disperse later.
Bring to a gentle bubble whilst stirring. Keep stirring until the whole lot is mixed well through and the chestnut puree has broken down. Let bubble for a few minutes.
Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Pre heat your oven to 150° C/300 F/Gas Mark 2.
Whilst waiting for the mixture to cool line your cake tin bottom and sides. Make sure that the side liner comes a little above the cake tin.
Tip 250 grams of plain flour, baking powder into the fruity mix and stir through then add the 3 eggs and stir again until mixed thoroughly. Pour and scrape the cake batter into your cake tin.
Bake in the oven for around 1 hr 35-45 mins or until a cake skewer comes out tacky but with no raw batter clinging to it. The top will be springy to the touch and cracked a little.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes or so before piercing the cake all over the top about 20 times with a cake skewer or similar. Spoon 2 tbsps brandy over the top of the cake.
Leave to cool in the tin. This will take about 3 hours.
Once cool wrap in a layer of baking paper and then silver foil and store in a container somewhere cool (not in the fridge). Once a week if you have time feed the top of the cake with 2 tbsps of brandy.
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