Christmas Cake Recipe

Christmas Cake Recipe (updated 18.12.23)

A classic homemade Christmas Cake has to be one of the nicest gifts you can give your family and close friends.

It is the ultimate Christmas present and people are always pleased that you went the extra mile and baked them a Christmas classic.

A rich fruit Christmas Cake is great for gift giving but also great to have on hand at home during the festive season.

Like many families that celebrate Christmas, it is an important part of our festive Christmas table that is especially set up for guests visiting during this very special season.

Christmas Cake: The Inspiration

Since Christmas time can be crazy hectic for many people, you want a no-fuss recipe that requires minimal effort and delivers maximum results.

For me, a good Christmas Cake recipe is fuss-free and makes a cake that tastes something like a good rich fruit wedding cake or an old-fashioned Plum Cake. Bonus points if it looks like a traditional Dundee Cake.

Rich Fruit Celebration Cake recipe by Mich Turner of the fabulous “Little Venice Cake Company” is the basis of my Christmas Cake recipe.

I discovered Mitch Turner, and a few other skilled wedding cake bakers, on the tv show “The Great Cake Bake” on the now defunct channel Wedding TV UK, over a decade or so ago. What a master of her craft!

Her recipe promised a deep, dark, moist fruit cake with a flattish top ready to be covered in marzipan and that is exactly what it delivered.

I have adapted this Christmas Cake recipe very slightly from Mich Turner’s. A photo of this lovely retro looking Dundee Cake on Pinterest inspired this almond and glacé cherry cake pattern.

Rest assured that this Christmas Cake recipe gives you a deep, spicy and decadent cake that tastes of Christmas itself!

Christmas Cake: When Good Things Come In Small Packages

My reason for making smallish Christmas Cakes is a fairly practical one; a well made rich  fruit cake is a joy to eat, but is best enjoyed in small quantities as it is indeed, quite rich.

I don’t know anyone who eats Christmas Cake in copious quantities.

Moreover, I’ve seen leftover Christmas cake lying around and drying around far too many times and in far too many homes and it literally breaks my heart.

Also with quite a few other delicious Christmas goodies and treats competing for attention at homes celebrating Christmas, I feel small sized cakes are best for gift giving.

However, you do you, so feel free to bake a bigger cake should you wish, adjusting the ingredients, cake pan size and baking time accordingly.

Christmas Cake: Spreading Joy Beyond Christmas

This cake makes a pretty awesome New Year’s celebration cake.

Or any special occasion celebration cake really; a milestone wedding anniversary such as a silver or golden one, calls for a uniquely special cake, such as this one.

Christmas Cake: Where To Buy The Ingredients From

As far as sourcing some of the special ingredients required to bake this Rich Fruit Christmas Cake such as the glacé cherries & the orange peel, online stores are your best bet.

In the US, you may find everything you need on Amazon.

Daraz.pk most probably has every ingredient available to make this cake in Pakistan.

Sethna Store in Empress Market is the place where Karachi folks can find them.

I have vague memories of a few stores in Saddar that stocked these supplies – I will ask my Mother if she remembers the names of those shops and will update the post if she does.

For people wishing to bake this cake in Lahore, head to The Bake Shop or Metro and you will find most ingredients called for in the recipe.
Treacle and molasses can be found at Esajee’s (DHA).

Christmas Cake: Fruit Soak Options

Your choice of the liquid that is used to steep the fruit will give it a slightly different flavour profile and affect the colour of the cake somewhat as well.

Lighter coloured juices will obviously give the cake a lighter tone whereas darker juices, tea and coffee will obviously impart a deeper hue.

However the colour turns out, be assured that your cake will look and taste wonderful.

Christmas Cake: Patience Will Be Rewarded

This is an ingredient heavy (read “chock full of dried fruit”) Christmas Cake recipe.

Hence the cake is pretty delicate when freshly baked so I would suggest that once completely cool, let it sit airtight and uncut for 2-3 days.

That not only makes the cake a bit firm and easier to cut but also gives the many flavours of the different fruits and spices time to harmoniously blend and settle together.

The taste improves and gets far deeper, complex and better after a few days.

Christmas Cake: A Note On The Recipe Update

Originally, I would bake half the recipe in a 6” cake pan. The baked cake, though absolutely delicious, was on the thinner side as can be seen in the photos.

While this was fine with me, and was actually perfect for cutting dainty bite-sized Christmas Cake pieces to serve to guests, I began baking the full recipe in a 6” cake pan for a taller cake (and a more substantial slice when cut).

A taller cake definitely makes for a better presentation and that is my preferred way to bake this cake now.

I have updated the ingredient amounts to reflect that, which is something I regretfully forgot while updating the original post a few days ago, sorry!

Christmas Cake: Video Tutorial

I have very recently uploaded a video of the recipe on YouTube which can be viewed here.

 

Christmas Cake

Recipe Type: Dessert    Author: Alice In Eatland

Steeping Time: 4 – 12 Hours

Prep Time: 20 Minutes    Cook Time: 60 Minutes    Total Time: 80 Minutes

 

Dark, moist and fruity – this easy and delicious Christmas Cake is the ultimate traditional holiday classic!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 200 grams glacé cherries, chopped
• 300 grams raisins, stemmed
• 300 grams black currants, stemmed
• 20 grams candied orange peel, chopped
• 1/2 cup fruit juice (apple, orange, pineapple, grape or cranberry) OR black tea
• 1 tbsp treacle or molasses
• 160 grams butter
• 160 grams brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence or extract
• 2 large eggs
• 160 grams plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 (1/2″) sticks cinnamon (daarcheeni)
• 1/4 of a whole broken nutmeg (jaiphal)
• 2 small (1/2″ or so) blades mace (javitri)
• 4 whole cloves (laung)
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• Whole blanched almonds, to decorate
• Halved glacé cherries, to decorate

METHOD

1. Pour your choice of liquid onto the raisins, glacé cherries, black currants and candied orange peel. Mix well, cover and let stand 6-12 hours or overnight at room temperature, stirring the mixture once half way through.
2. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C / 338 degrees F.
3. Line a square 6″ x  2″ pan or a round 6″ x 2″ pan with grease proof paper or foil. Butter and flour the lined pan well. Set aside.
4. Place the cinnamon stick, nutmeg, mace and cloves in a coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder. Sieve through a fine strainer.
5. Combine flour with the baking powder, ginger powder and the sieved ground spices and set aside.
6. Put the butter and brown sugar in a small pan over medium heat and stir until butter melts. The butter and sugar will appear separated at first so keep stirring for a few minutes until they both become uniform.
7. As soon as you see the mixture beginning to bubble gently in places, remove from the heat and pour into your mixing bowl.
8. Cool mixture 5 minutes and then beat in the treacle or molasses until combined.
9. Next beat in the egg and vanilla essence or extract.
10. Mix in the combined flour, baking powder and spices.
11. Finally fold in the soaked fruit with any remaining liquid.
12. Turn mixture into your prepared pan and level the top as much as possible with the back of a tablespoon.
13. Press the blanched almonds and halved cherries on the surface in flower shapes or any other decorative pattern.
14. Bake around 40 – 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean and the top is brown and set.
15. Remove cake pan from oven and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
16. Let cooled cake remain in the pan, cover airtight with foil and let sit overnight at room temperature.
17. Remove the cake from pan, peel off the paper or foil lining and store airtight.
18. This cake is best cut and eaten 2 – 3 days after being baked.