Don't let the bad rep get you down, fruitcake is delicious!
Turn the oven up to 225 F. While that's heating up, grease and flour a tube cake pan.
In a big bowl, combine the sugar, flour, soda, spices, eggs, lemon rind, vanilla, 1/2 cup brandy, fruit, nuts, and melted butter (margarine works too) and mix it all thoroughly. Pour that mix into the prepped pan.
Bake the cake for 1 hour, or until you can stick a toothpick in it and pull it out clean. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
Technically, you can eat the cake now, but if you want it to be really special, you gotta play the long game. Wrap the cooled cake in foil. Every day over the course of two weeks, take it out of the foil and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brandy over it.