Make dough by mixing flour, sugar, starter, butter, egg, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and mixed spice. Work into a dough and then knead for a bit. Work in the salt and then knead some more. 7 minutes kneading in total.

Leave to prove for 5hours at 20C. While it is proving, make a coffee. Not for you - we are going to soak the fruit in it. Ideally you want to make a double espresso with about 8 cardamom pods in it. (crack them, so liquid can get into the pods, but don't open them so the seeds fall out). Add the cardamom pods while the coffee is still hot, and then leave to sit at room temp for an hour or so.

Remove the cardamom pods from the coffee and pour the coffee into a bowl containing the raisins and the mixed peel. Stir occasionally over the course of the next few hours (while the dough is still proving).

Make Marzipan (unless you just bought it).

When the dough has finished proving (it might have doubled in size, don't worry if it hasn't quite) drain any excess liquid from the fruit and work it into the dough by doing a series of folds. This becomes quite hard work when there is a lot of fruit. Don't worry if you can't get it all into the dough.

When the fruit is evenly distributed, roll it flat to about 45cm x 35cm. Roll the Marzipan flat to 35cm x 20cm. place the Marzipan on top of the dough and roll it up so that you have a sausage-shaped loaf with a swirl of dough running through the centre. It should be quite big. Don't worry if there is exposed marzipan sticking out the end. This will turn into the most excellent burnt bits imaginable.

Leave to prove for another 2 hours.

Bake at 180C for 1 hr.

Poke holes in the dough using a cake tester, then melt butter onto the surface and try to work it into the holes. When the Stollen has cooled, dust with icing sugar.