A stuttering start

I have to keep him at arm's length at the moment as my lungs are full of crap and i can't take a breath when he rises above my bowed back and presses apart my legs. Overcome with lust is a bonus, racked with wheezing coughing is not so sexy. It will pass.

I am absurdly lazy about posting recipes, but driven by need to preserve this particular gem.

350 gram dried pear(s) [i use tropical dried fruit as a alternative]
250 gram dried apricots
250 gram golden sultanas
175 gram butter (soft) [i use dairy free]
200 gram caster sugar
125 ml white rum [i use whisky when using tropical fruit]
200 gram ginger jam (or preserve or marmalade)
225 gram ground almonds
35 gram sesame seeds (or mixture sunflower & pumpkin)
3 cardamom pods (seeds)
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
3 medium eggs
For the topping
75 gram blanched almonds (whole)

Method

Roughly scissor the dried fruit and apricots into small pieces and put them into a saucepan with the sultanas, butter, sugar, rum and ginger jam.

Simmer for 10 minutes and then leave to stand for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm high-sided tin with a double layer of Bake-O-Glide or regular baking parchment; the lining should extend about 10cm above.

Stir the ground almonds, sesame seeds (or a mixture), cardamom seeds and coriander into the cooled saucepan. Beat in the eggs and spoon into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top.
Starting in the middle, work in concentric circles as you place the blanched almonds on top of the cake batter in decorative rings (rather like a Dundee cake).

Bake for 1 hour 40 minutes, then leave to cool completely in the tin. Once cool, take out of the tin, wrap with baking parchment then foil, before stashing it away in its cake tin or other airtight container. Though, unlike a traditional fruit cake, it doesn’t need to stand before being divinely edible. It will keep for a week, thought it never lasts that long here.