Sweet potato cake, with cherry, ginger and almonds

Ingredients

   2 1/2 cups plain flour
    2 teaspoons baking soda
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
    1 cup sugar
    1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) margarine
    1 cup brown sugar
    3 large eggs
    1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    2 1/2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
    1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
    *1/2 cup glace cherries (rinsed thoroughly and chopped)
    *1/2 cup crystallised ginger (rinsed thoroughly and chopped)
    *1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted almonds (skin removed)
*mix these three together, use 1 cup of the mix, lightly dusted in flour to stop them sinking, in the cake and retain the remaining half cup for the topping

Icing

140g/5oz butter, softened
280g/10oz icing sugar
1-2 tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 175c
Grease and line a cake tin

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and granulated sugar. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream margarine and brown sugar on low speed, and then increase speed to medium and beat until well-combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredients that you set aside and beat on low speed until just incorporated.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each egg and scraping down the sides of the bowl after the addition of each egg. Add vanilla, sweet potatoes, pineapple, cherries, ginger and almonds and blend on low speed until thoroughly mixed.

Bake for around 70 mins, till a skewer comes out clean and cool before icing.