Hairy Bakers' wedding cake recipe

The wonderful Hairy Bakers show you how to make an unforgettable carrot and fruit wedding cake for an unforgettable day!

Ingredients

• 100g dried pineapple (rehydrated in 150ml water)
• 1.5kg raisins
• 3.2kg sultanas
• 1.4kg plain flour
• 10g cardamom
• 10g mixed spice
• 20g bicarb
• 10g salt
• 100g dates
• 250g grated carrot
• Zest of 3 lemons
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 750ml sunflower oil
• 600ml barley malt syrup
• 900g brown rice syrup - or normal syrup
• 20 eggs (1 ltr)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140ºC/275ºF/gas 1. Brush three cake tins with sunflower oil.
2. Sift the flour into a very large bowl, add the sultanas, raisins, chopped dates, bicarbonate of soda, salt and mixed spice and stir well to combine.
3. Add the barley malt syrup and brown rice syrup and stir well to combine.
4. Stir the beaten eggs into the mixture, then add the sunflower oil and stir well to combine.
5. Add the grated carrot, orange zest and lemon zest and stir well to combine.
6. Add the chopped pineapple and cardomon seeds and mix well.
7. Spoon the mixture into the three baking tins, until the mixture reaches no more than three-quarters of the way up the tins.
8. Wrap each tin in greaseproof paper and secure each with string. Cut one 20cm/8in, one 25cm/10in and one 30cm/12in disc of greaseproof paper and cover each tin with the corresponding-sized disc.
9. Transfer the cakes to the oven and bake for 3-4 hours, checking occasionally, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of each cake.
10. Set the cakes aside to rest for two days.
11. Assemble the cake tiers and decorate with marzipan, royal icing and the decoration of your choice.