This Christmas cake is my mother’s recipe and I’ve made it every year for the better part of my life. Glacé fruits can be tricky (and expensive) to buy in the UK. I use a small producer called Country Products. In the absence of whole glacé fruits, decorate with a mix of dried apricots, figs, nuts and glacé cherries, then paint with a glaze of shimmering apricot jam for a simpler, rustic-looking cake.