Classic Christmas Cake Recipe
Fruity, rich, dense, aromatic and a little spicy, this traditional Christmas Cake recipe gives us the perfect homemade treat to enjoy over the festive period with family and friends. Here’s how to prepare, bake and feed this unique British fruit cake.
Servings: 16 pieces
Ingredients
- 600 g Dried mixed fruit
- 150 ml Brandy Plus extra for feeding the cake afterwards
- 2 Oranges Zested and juiced
- 3 Eggs Medium, free range
- 150 g Plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 185 g Unsalted butter At room temperature
- 35 g Black treacle
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- 150 g Soft light brown sugar
- 75 g Flaked almonds
Instructions
- Soak the fruit: Put the fruit, brandy, orange zest and juice into a large bowl and mix well. Either leave it to soak overnight covered with cling film OR put in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 5 minutes until the fruit has softened and some of the liquid has been absorbed, then set aside for 1 hour to cool.
- Line your tin: Line the base and sides of the inside of the cake tin with baking paper, then line the outside too. Do this by taking another sheet of baking paper twice the height of your tin, fold it in half and wrap it around the outside and secure it tightly with some string.
- Preheat the oven: When you’re ready to bake, preheat it to 120°C fan/140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1.
- Make the cake batter: In a large bowl, mix the soaked fruit and liquid, eggs, flour, baking powder butter, treacle, cinnamon, ground ginger, sugar and almonds. If you have a hand-held electric whisk, you can use it here. Beat until the mixture is combined and there are no pockets of flour remaining.
- Bake: Pour the cake mixture into your lined tin and smooth the top so it is level. Put the cake into the oven on the lowest shelf and bake for 3 hours. After this time, test the cake by inserting a skewer into the middle - if any cake mixture remains on the skewer, bake for a little longer. It may take up to 3 ½ hours to cook. The top of the cake should look dry and be an even, golden colour. (If the top is browning too quickly at any point, add foil loosely over the top.)
- To serve: Remove the cake in the oven and leave to cool in the tin. When the cake is cold, remove it from the tin, peel off the baking paper and wrap it well in fresh baking paper.
- How to feed your cake: Make several holes in your cake using a metal skewer and pour over 1 tablespoon of brandy each week for 4 weeks.
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Notes
When to make your Christmas Cake: Ideally it should be made two or three months before Christmas and be ‘fed’ regularly with brandy (if you’re using it), however I’ve tested this one after just a month and it’s still delicious.
What fruit comes in mixed dried fruit: In the UK, our mixed dried fruit is usually made up of sultanas, currants, raisins and candied citrus peel, and this combination is what we ideally want for this recipe. If you’re in another country, try to get the individual dried fruit ingredients if you can’t find one in a pack together.
Type of tin: You’ll need an 18cm round loose-bottomed cake tin (the type with deep sides).
Lining the tin: Line the base and sides of your 18cm deep sided cake tin with baking paper, then line the outside too. Do this by taking another sheet of baking paper twice the height of your tin, fold it in half and wrap it around the outside, then secure it tightly with some string.
This makes sure the sides don’t burn seeing as we’re cooking this for a long time!
Soaking the fruit: I always like to plan ahead and leave the dried fruit to soak overnight in brandy, but if you forget this part of the recipe, you can salvage it by microwaving the fruit and brandy together for about 5 minutes until the fruit has softened and some of the liquid has been absorbed. Set it aside to cool it for 1 hour before carrying on with the recipe.
Leaving out the brandy: Swap the brandy for apple juice if you’re making this a non-alcoholic Christmas Cake, and skip the feeding step.
Black treacle: If you're outside the UK and can't get hold of this, dark molasses (or a blend of dark molasses and a little golden syrup or dark brown sugar) is the nearest swap.
Nutrition
Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 416mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg