How To Make Christmas Cake Recipe

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Christmas Cake Recipe
Christmas Cake Recipe
(Image credit: G5_Studio2)
Serves10–12
Preparation Time30 mins plus overnight soaking
Cooking Time2 hours 30 mins
Total Time3 hours plus overnight soaking
By
published
in Recipes

Classic Christmas cake recipes are the ultimate festive treat. Our recipe includes all the usual Christmas cake favourites like candied peel, ground mixed spice and of course a good splash of alcohol!

How To Make Christmas Cake

Ingredients

175g (6oz) currants

75g (3oz) each sultanas and raisins

50g (2oz) dried apricots, chopped

50g (2oz) dried figs, chopped

25g (1oz) candied peel

3tbsp whisky, plus extra to feed the cake

100g (4oz) plain flour

¼tsp ground cinnamon

½tsp mixed spice

¼tsp freshly grated nutmeg

100g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened

100g (4oz) soft dark brown sugar

2 free-range eggs, beaten

40g (1½oz) Brazil nuts, toasted and chopped

2tsp black treacle

grated zest of ½ lemon and ½ orange

you will need

Method

  1. Place all the dried fruits and candied peel in a bowl, pour over the whisky, mix well, cover and leave to soak overnight.

  2. The following day heat the oven to 140 C, 120 C fan, 275 F, gas 1. Sift the flour, a pinch of salt and the spices into a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until fluffly and pale in colour. Gradually add the eggs, beating well until incorporated. Don't worry if the mixture looks curdled - it'll be fine once you add the flour.

  3. Gently fold in the flour and spices, being careful not to knock out too much air. Fold in the whisky-soaked fruits, the nuts, treacle, and zest, then spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Make a small indentation in the centre with the back of a teaspoon so that the centre doesn't rise. You want a nice even top.

  4. Place a band of brown paper around the outside of the tin and cut another double thickness of baking parchment to cover the top of the cake, so it doesn't brown too much. Make a hole in the centre of the paper the size of a £1 coin.

  5. Place the cake on the lower shelf of the oven. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted comes out clean.

  6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin (can take up to 4 hours) before wrapping well in double greaseproof paper and storing in an airtight tin. To 'feed' the cake with whisky, make a few holes in the top with a skewer and pour over 2tsp whisky. Repeat every few days for a couple of weeks.

  • 20cm (8in) round cake tin, double lined with baking parchment (to keep it moist)
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