Ingredients

Step by step

1. For the shortbread, preheat the oven to 170°C, fan 150°C, gas 3 and line a 20cm square tin with baking paper. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until creamy. Add the flour, cornflour and mixed spice and stir until it starts to come together into a dough. Using your hands, press together into a round. Press the dough into the prepared tin, using a spatula to level out. Bake for 55-60 minutes until golden and crisp. Leave to cool completely in the tin. Once cooled, weigh out 500g of the shortbread and cut into chunks, roughly 1cm in size (keep the rest in an airtight tin for 3-4 weeks).
2. For the cake, put the brandy in a saucepan and heat until just simmering. Add the chopped dried fruit and set aside to cool.
3. Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper. Put the butter, golden syrup and 150g of the chocolate in a saucepan and heat over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter and chocolate have melted. Whisk in the cocoa powder and 100ml of the double cream, until everything is well combined.
4. In a large bowl combine the chopped shortbread and 50g of the pistachios, then pour over the chocolate mixture and stir well to combine. Add the dried fruit and any brandy that hasn’t been absorbed and stir well again. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and chill for 3-4 hours until set.
5. For the ganache, finely chop the remaining chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat the remaining cream until just steaming, then pour over the chocolate. Leave to sit for a minute, then stir well until you have a thick, glossy consistency. Set aside for 20 minutes to thicken a bit more.
6. Remove the cake from the fridge and release it from the tin. Place on a serving plate or cake stand. Cover the top and sides with the ganache using a palette knife. Finely chop the remaining pistachios and use to decorate the top edge of the cake. Chill again for 1 hour. Remove 20-30 minutes before serving.