Boiled Fruit Cake

Boil sugar through butter for 20 minutes. Cool till just warm, then add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours at 250° - 300° F, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before completing the icing process (see below). 3X makes 2 large round cakes; 1X makes 6" round or 1 large loaf. Dave likes cherries, ginger, candied fruit and nuts in his. My mother added some brandy, but I am not sure how much, which helps it keep better. I do not like the flavor of brandy, so I have omitted it from my recipe. Icing Process: Brush entire cake surfaces with warmed apricot jam, preferably without lumps of fruit. Roll out marzipan into a circle large enough to cover top and sides of cake. Gently lift onto the cake, smoothing gently down the sides of the cake. Trim the edges with enough room to adequately seal the bottom down to the plate. There should be no place where the next layer of icing touches the apricot jam. Marzipan can be "patched" by using off-cuts and sealed with a little water, and rubbed to smooth. Leave this layer to dry unsealed for about 24 hours. Use Royal Icing recipe to cover the marzipan completely, down to the plate as well. Leave this to dry for several hours before sealing.