Pre-heat your oven to 150C Fan/170C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and grease and line two 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep)
Make the sponge by mixing the butter and light brown sugar in a large bowl, ideally using an electric mixer
Add the eggs, lemon zest and milk, and whisk until fully incorporated
Add the plain flour, baking powder and mixed spice, and whisk in until you can't see any flour anymore
Toss the fruit and cherries in a little flour, then gently stir them into the batter
Divide the mixture between the cake tins, use scales for accuracy if you like
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a thin skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or remove from the tins and place on cooling racks
To make the buttercream mix the butter and icing sugar together. Once it starts to come together add the almond extract and milk, and mix until smooth. You can add more milk if the buttercream if too stiff. For best results use an electric mixer
If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a knife
Put one of the sponges on your serving plate and pipe or spread buttercream all over the sponge, I used a Wilton 8B nozzle to pipe it on
Using your hands, roll up 12 marzipan balls weighing 15g each, then roll the rest of the marzipan out using a little icing sugar so it doesn't stick to your surface. Use a small plate to cut out a disc shape that's about 1.5" smaller than the cake
Add the final sponge layer and brush the apricot jam over the top to help the marzipan stick
Place the marzipan disc on top of the cake
Use a cook's blowtorch to scorch the marzipan in the centre and the top of each marzipan ball
Pipe more buttercream around the edge of the cake, then add the marzipan balls on top
Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place and eat within 3 days