Rich hazelnut fruit cake

Combine fruit, jam and liqueur in a large bowl, cover, stand at room temperature overnight or for up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan forced). Line base and side(s) of a deep 22cm (9-inch) round or a deep 19cm (8-inch) square cake pan with 1 layer of brown paper and 3 layers of baking paper, extending paper 5cm (2 inches) above side(s) of pan.

Beat butter, spread and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until just combined (do not overbeat). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined between additions. Stir butter mixture into fruit mixture, then stir in the sifted dry ingredients and nuts.

Spread mixture into pan. Bake about 3½ hours or until cooked when tested. Brush hot cake with ¼ cup of the extra liqueur. Cover hot cake with foil, wrap in a clean towel, cool in pan overnight.

To decorate, brush cake all over with remaining ¼ cup of liqueur. Knead the ready-made icing on a surface dusted with a little sifted cornflour until it loses its stickiness. Roll icing into a round large enough to cover cake. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift icing over cake. Dust hands with cornflour, and use to mould icing over the top and sides of cake, gently rub icing with hands until smooth. Trim the icing neatly around the base. Stand cake at room temperature to dry overnight.

Re-roll any scraps of icing into a 6mm (¼-inch) thickness, using snowflake cutters, cut out different sized snowflakes. Place on a baking-paper-lined tray to dry overnight.

Use a little water to secure snowflakes to cake.