Enjoy our Christmas cake strudel for breakfast on Christmas morning, with coffee and tea around the tree on Christmas eve, or even as a dessert after your big Christmas lunch.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 2 hours

INGREDIENTS
¾ cup sugar
100 g butter
¾ cup water
375 g fruit-cake mix
40 g glacé cherries
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
4 sheets phyllo
¼ cup melted butter, for brushing
Icing sugar, to dust

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Place the sugar, butter and water in a large pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for five minutes, then add the fruit-cake mix and glacé cherries, and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarb. Allow to cool.
3. Add the beaten eggs to the cooled mixture. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and fold them in.
4. Brush a sheet of phyllo pastry with butter and place on top of another sheet. Repeat with remaining sheets. Place the filling in the centre and roll up into a tight cylinder, folding the ends in to seal the sides.
5. Brush the outside with butter. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Dust with icing sugar to serve.