We were lucky enough to get as a present… one of these Waitrose Delia’s classic Christmas cake boxes. It’s all you need to make one of the best fruitcakes on the planet.

“This is my original Classic Christmas Cake that has been made by thousands of people over the last 40 years and it really has been an absolute winner with everyone. We have simplified it by making it all-in-one, so all you need to remember is to remove the butter from the fridge the night before, it really does need to be very, very soft.” Delia Smith

It’s so quick and easy. All the ingredients apart from french orange & lemon zests, 5 eggs and butter.

The box contains these ingredients which are packaged and weighed perfectly.

• Fruit mix with brandy (currants, sultanas, raisins, brandy, candied mixed peel, chopped glacé cherries, palm oil)
• soft dark brown sugar
• wheat flour
• chopped almonds
• black treacle
• mixed spice with nutmeg
• Candied mixed peel contains citrus peel (orange peel, lemon peel)
• wheat glucose-fructose syrup
• sugar
• preservative sulphur dioxide
• Chopped glacé cherries contains cherries
• wheat glucose-fructose syrup
• colour anthocyanins
• preservative sulphur dioxide

All you have to do is this…

Before you begin:
You will need a 20 cm round cake tin, greased and lined with a double thickness of baking parchment, or Bake-O-Glide (trademark), and a spot of oil. To see how to line a cake tin with baking parchment please go to http://waitrose.com videos. Tie a band of brown paper (or a double thickness of newspaper will do) round the outside of the tin with string for extra protection.

Preheat the oven to 140C, gas mark 1.

Now all you do is sift the flour, salt and spices into a very large roomy mixing bowl then add the sugar, eggs and the soft butter and either whisk or beat with a wooden spoon until everything is light, pale and fluffy.

Now gradually fold in the pre-soaked fruit mixture, chopped nuts and treacle and finallythe grated lemon and orange zests.

Next, using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon and, if you don’t intend to decorate the cake with marzipan and icing, lightly drop the blanched almonds in circles over the surface.

Finally cover the top of the cake with a double layer of baking parchment with a 50p-size hole in the centre (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking). Bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4 hours until it feels springyin the centre when lightly touched. Sometimes it can take 30–45 minutes longer than this, but in any case don’t look for 4 hours.

Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it’s cold, feed it by making small holes in the top and bottom with a cocktail stick and spooning in a couple of tablespoons of Armagnac or brandy,then wrap it in double baking parchment secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight tin. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it