Christmas Cake

Name: Christmas Cake
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 450 g of Dried Currants; 175 g of Sultanas; 175 g of Raisins; 50 g of Candied Cherries; 50 g of Candied Fruit; 100 ml of Brandy; 225 g of All Purpose Flour; Mezza teaspoon of Salt; 1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg; Mezza teaspoon of Mixed Spice; 225 g of Brown Sugar; 4 Eggs; 2 teaspoons of Molasses; 225 g of Butter; 50 g of Almonds; 1 Lemon; 1 Orange; 4 tablespoons of Brandy; 3 tablespoons of Apricot Jam; Powdered Sugar; 500 g of Marzipan; 2 Egg Whites; 450 g of Powdered Sugar; 1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice

Christmas cake is the British rich fruit cake soaked in brandy, baked slowly, then covered with marzipan and a snowy coat of royal icing.

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 1 hour
Cooking 4 hours
Servings for 16 people

Christmas cake is the dark fruit cake that British and Irish families bake weeks before the holidays: currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries and peel soaked in brandy, a long bake at a low temperature, then regular feeding with more brandy while the cake matures in its tin.

It descends from the Twelfth Night cake once eaten at the end of the Christmas season; in the Victorian era it moved to Christmas itself and took on its classic dress, a layer of marzipan under white royal icing roughed up like snow, often finished with small figures or a sprig of holly.

It is cut in thin slices with a cup of tea on Christmas afternoon and through the following days; in Yorkshire it is traditionally eaten with a piece of Wensleydale cheese.

Ingredients for 16 people

For soaking the fruit:
450 g of Dried Currants
175 g of Sultanas
175 g of Raisins
50 g of Candied Cherries glacé, chopped
50 g of Candied Fruit mixed peel, chopped
100 ml of Brandy
For the cake:
225 g of All Purpose Flour plain
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon of Mixed Spice ground
225 g of Brown Sugar dark, soft
4 Eggs large
2 teaspoons of Molasses black treacle
225 g of Butter softened
50 g of Almonds chopped, skin on
1 Lemon finely grated zest
1 Orange finely grated zest
To feed and cover:
4 tablespoons of Brandy for feeding
3 tablespoons of Apricot Jam
Powdered Sugar for dusting
500 g of Marzipan
For the royal icing:
2 Egg Whites large
450 g of Powdered Sugar sifted
1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice

Copy Ingredients List

Open in App

Method

The evening before, put the currants, sultanas, raisins, chopped glacé cherries and mixed peel in a bowl, pour over the 100 ml of brandy and stir. Cover with a cloth and leave to soak for at least 12 hours.
Grease a deep 20 cm (8 inch) round loose-based cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Tie a double band of brown paper around the outside of the tin, standing a few centimeters above the rim, to protect the cake during the long bake. Preheat the oven to 140 °C (275 °F).
Sift the flour, salt, nutmeg and mixed spice into a very large bowl. Add the dark brown sugar, the eggs, the black treacle (molasses), warmed slightly so it flows, and the softened butter, and beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Fold in the soaked fruit with any brandy left in the bowl, then the almonds and the grated lemon and orange zest.
Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top with the back of the spoon. Cut a double square of baking parchment with a small hole in the middle and rest it on the brown paper collar, not on the cake. Bake on the lowest shelf for 4 hours without opening the oven, then check: the cake is ready when the center springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer comes out clean. It can need another 30 to 45 minutes.
Leave the cake in the tin for 30 minutes, then lift it out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Prick the top and base all over with a cocktail stick and spoon over 2 tablespoons of the brandy for feeding. Wrap the cake in baking parchment and then in foil and keep it in an airtight tin, feeding it with the rest of the brandy, a spoonful at a time, every week or two.
About two weeks before Christmas, set the cake upside down on a cake board, so the flat base becomes the top. Warm the apricot jam, press it through a sieve and brush it over the top and sides. Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan into a circle about 35 cm (14 inch) across, large enough to cover the top and sides. Lift it over the cake on the rolling pin, smooth it down the sides and trim the base. Cover loosely with parchment and leave in a cool, dry place for 3 to 7 days, so the marzipan dries before icing.
For the royal icing, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until frothy, then add the sifted icing sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking on low speed. Add the lemon juice and keep whisking until the icing is very white and stands in stiff peaks.
Pile the icing on top of the cake and spread it over the top and sides with a palette knife. For the traditional snowy finish, dab the surface with the flat of a small knife to pull it up into peaks. Add any decorations while the icing is still soft, then leave the cake uncovered overnight to set before storing it. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

For an un-iced cake, skip the marzipan and icing and, before baking, arrange 100 g of whole blanched almonds in circles on top of the mixture. The brandy can be replaced with sherry or whisky. Many families cover only the top with marzipan and icing and tie a ribbon around the sides.

Tips

The times are for a conventional oven: with a fan oven, set it to 120 °C (250 °F) and start checking earlier. The brown paper collar and the paper lid stop the edges and top from drying out during the long bake, so do not skip them. Royal icing contains raw egg white: for pregnant women, young children, the elderly or anyone vulnerable, use pasteurized egg white or meringue powder made up as the packet says. A teaspoon of glycerine beaten into the icing keeps it from setting rock hard.

Storage

Before decorating, the cake keeps for up to 3 months wrapped in parchment and foil in an airtight tin, fed with brandy every couple of weeks. Once iced, keep it in a tin in a cool, dry place, not in the fridge, and eat it within 2 to 3 weeks.