Put the dried fruits and peel in a bowl and pour over the brandy and sherry. Mix well and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for at least 2 weeks. Stir the fruit every few days. If the fruit looks dry, add more booze and a splash of orange juice. Start making the cake once the fruits are plump. Heat oven to 150 degrees. Butter a 20 cm cake tin and line the base and sides with greaseproof paper. To protect the cake from burning, tie a double layer of greaseproof paper around the outside of the tin. Blitz the soaked fruit in three batches in a food processor, blitzing the final batch only lightly to keep some texture and bite to the fruit. Mix the flour, almonds and spices in a large bowl and stir in the fruits. Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk, until light and fluffy. Then mix in the eggs, one by one. Stir into the fruit mixture, bit by bit, together with the lemon zest and juice. Tip the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Reduce the heat to 140 degrees and bake for 3-3 1/2 hours. Take care it does not overcook. Insert a skewer deep into the cake, if it comes out clean, it's cooked. Cool slightly in the tin, remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Store in a double layer of greaseproof paperl, wrapped in foil until ready to eat. You can store the cake for up to 3 months. Make sure you feed the cake by making skewer holes and pouring in brandy every few weeks. Wrap up the cake after every feed. Delicious with warm custard!