My Christmas Cake

This year I used the peel from the oranges on my orange tree to make crystallised peel. So I have been looking forward to making my Christmas Cake for quite a few months, and finally did it today. If you have just read Sweet Poison, or are diabetic, best you steer clear of this recipe as it is very high in fructose. Instead of making one big cake, you could divvy it up into smaller cake tins and give them away as gifts. You have to have the oven on for a long time, so don't try this on a hot Australian summer's day. The photo is of my cake going into the oven today.
Ingredients:
500g currants
500g raisins
250g sultanas
125g dates
125g crystallised ginger
125g crystallised cherries
125 crystallised peel
125g blanched almonds
1/2 cup dark jam
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon almond essence (I don't use it as I don't like the taste of almond essence)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon lemon essence
1 tablespoon cocoa or carob powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
250g butter
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
250g brown sugar

Method:
Line the bottom and sides of a 9-10 inch round or square cake tin. I used one of both as this makes a lot of mixture.
Mix fruits and nuts together, cutting to similar sizes.
Mix together orange juice, rind, jam, pineapple and essences.
Sift flour, cocoa, bicarb and spices together.
Mix about 1 cup of the flour mixture into the fruit mixture.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat thoroughly after each egg.
Mix in liquid jam mixture.
Add fruit and flour alternatively and stir in until cake mixture is even in texture.
Put into prepared tin.
Bake in a very slow oven (250 F or 120C) for 5 hours or until cooked.
This is a very heavy cake (6 1/4 pounds or almost 3kg).
Skewer should come out clean when cooked.