For a 20cm round spring cake tin you will need:
1 Set your oven to a low heat 150°C/Gas2
2The day before making the cake, put all the fruit and nuts in a bowl with the Cognac, stir well to mix and marinade overnight. Stir a couple of times before going to bed. Then mix really well in the morning.
3Lightly oil and line the base of your cake tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Lightly oil the sides and line with brown or greaseproof paper. The paper should come 4-6cm above the top of the tin rim.
4Sift the flour, ground almonds, spices and baking powder together into a bowl or onto a baking sheet and add the fleur de sel.
5Break the eggs into a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Add the butter and sugar and whisk until well blended. Remove from the mixer, add the fruit and with a spatula mix well to combine, follow this with the flour mixture, combine well without over mixing.
6 Put the mixture into the prepared cake ring and with the back of a spoon smooth the top.
7 Bake in the centre of the oven for 1¼ to 1½ hours. There is no need to cover when baking unless the top is starting to burn. If so cover with aluminium foil or brown paper.
8 Test with a cocktail stick or skewer, it should come out clean when ready, I like to have mine a little soggy in the middle, so use your own judgement with this.
9 When ready remove from the oven, cool in the tin on a wire cake rack for about half an hour then remove from the tin and stand on the wire rack to cool properly.
10 Eat with some firm cheese and sliced apple. Or just eat and enjoy as it is.
11 If making early wrap in baking parchment in an airtight container. Put some holes in the cake with a knife and sprinkle some Cognac, brandy or dark rum over every week or so, until time to eat.
*For a lighter every day fruit cake use pure cane light brown sugar and omit the treacle.