Christmas Cake
A classic, rich, brandy-soaked Christmas cake packed with dried fruit and festive spices. Perfect made ahead and matured for the holidays.
Equipment
- - 8" deep round or square cake tin
- Saucepan
- - Electric mixer or wooden spoon
- Mixing bowls
- - Baking paper & foil
Ingredients
- #### For the Fruit
- - 300g raisins
- - 250g sultanas
- - 200g currants
- - 100g dried cranberries
- - 100g glacé cherries
- - 75g mixed peel
- - Zest & juice of 1 lemon
- - 150ml brandy or tea/apple juice
- #### For the Cake
- - 250g unsalted butter
- - 250g soft dark brown sugar
- - 1 tbsp black treacle
- - 4 large eggs
- - 250g self-raising flour
- - 75g ground almonds
- - 2 tsp mixed spice
- - 1 tsp cinnamon
- - ½ tsp ground ginger
- - ¼ tsp nutmeg
- - 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Simmer dried fruit, zest, juice, and brandy for 5 mins. Cool fully.
- Preheat oven to 130ºC fan. Line an 8" deep tin.
- Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, treacle, and vanilla.
- Mix in dry ingredients and soaked fruit.
- Bake for 2–2¼ hrs or until skewer is clean.
- Cool fully. Prick and feed with 1–2 tbsp brandy.
- Wrap in baking paper and foil. Feed every 2 weeks.
Notes
- Alcohol-free version: use brewed tea
- Freeze up to 6 months
- Decorate with marzipan and icing or serve plain
- Feeding = flavor! Don’t skip it
- Freeze up to 6 months
- Decorate with marzipan and icing or serve plain
- Feeding = flavor! Don’t skip it