Preheat the oven to 160c/320f/Gas 3

Line a 20cm/8” cake tin with baking parchment and grease well with butter. I use a tin with removable base which makes popping the cake out so much easier.

Measure all the ingredients and sieve the flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl and add the mixed spice. Stir well to combine.

Make sure your butter is soft enough to work with but don't melt it completely. Cut into chunks and add this to the mix and mix it well in so there are no lumps left. Keep working it in until the mixture is even throughout.

Add the eggs and the milk and beat this thoroughly.

Chop the apricots and cherries into little pieces. Drain the correct amount of stem ginger and chop to same size pieces. Warning; This is really sticky work so make sure you have a cloth to wipe your hands before you touch anything else.

Add the chopped fruits, sultanas and the chopped ginger to your mixing bowl and beat until everything is combined.

Spoon half of the mixture into your prepared baking tin and level off the top. Give the tin a tap on the table top to release air and get it to settle.

Roll out the marzipan to about 1/2cm thick and using your baking tin as a guide, cut out a circle that is just slightly smaller than the tin itself, so that you can fit the circle of marzipan inside the tin and on top of the cake mix that you've already put in there.

Spoon on the remaining cake mixture and level off the top.

Place in the oven on middle shelf for 1 ½ - 2 hours. Check the cake after an hour and cover top with foil or parchment if browning too much.

You'll know the cake is cooked through when it is a lovely golden brown and it should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, and a skewer will come out clean when inserted into the cake.

Set aside to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

Roll out all of the marzipan and cut out another circle the same size as the first one. This will be the topping for your cake.

Warm the apricot jam either in the microwave for just a second or two, or in a small saucepan. Use this as the glue to bond the marzipan topping to the cake.

Once the topping in is place go around the edges crimping a little with thumb and forefinger to give an almost frilly edging. Then, taking the back of a knife carefully score a criss cross pattern on the marzipan all over the top of the cake.

Roll out eleven little marzipan balls ready to place on the cake.

Beat the egg and using a pastry brush give a fine wash over the surface of the marzipan and to stick the little balls into place around the edges of the cake.

You can either pop the cake under the grill for four or five minutes to lightly toast the marzipan topping or you can whip out that little kitchen blow torch and use that instead.