This is a substantial cake which stays fresh for up to three days if it can’t all be eaten in one sitting. If you want you can reduce the sugar by half and eat the slices with butter and jam.

For the sponge

300 gr. plain white flour

100 gr. ground almonds

250 gr. butter

300 gr. dark brown sugar

3 tbs. treacle (dark molasses)

1 tsp. mixed spice

4 eggs

250 gr. dried prunes

100 ml. port

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

100 ml buttermilk or yoghurt

A pinch of salt

For the icing

150 gr. dark chocolate

100 ml. cream

100 ml. port

Method

Begin by soaking the prunes in the port overnight before blending into a pulp. Put the flour, mixed spice, bicarb. of soda and pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter, treacle and sugar on a low heat and add to the flour. Add the four eggs, the buttermilk and the blended prunes to the flour and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together. Grease the cake tin and pour the mixture into the tin. Bake in the oven for the first 15 minutes on 180 degrees centigrade. Take out of the oven cover the base with tin-foil or a baking tray to prevent the base from burning. Put back in the oven for a further 45 minutes on 150 degrees centigrade or until a knife comes out of the cake clean.

To make the icing melt the chocolate over a low heat before adding the cream and port. Pour over the cake. Tastes best when it has been left to rest for at least an hour.