Last minute Christmas cake recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Christmas, Desserts | 297 comments
Over the years we have tried various Christmas cake recipes but the best by far was the one that we made last year, a week before Christmas. We wanted a cake packed with fruit but not a dark heavy traditional type of Christmas cake. We’d had to force down too many slices of these in the past.
My Mother used to make us these and bring one each Christmas. Then she decided to buy them. These were worse and not disguised by being fed with lashings of brandy. We’d cut a few slices at Christmas, give her half the cake to take home at the end of her stay and the rest would linger in the larder for weeks and eventually been tossed out with the rubbish. We tried feeding one particularly disappointing one to the birds one year, and even they turned their beaks up at it.
“Make a Christmas cake if you want. But I won’t be eating it,” said Danny, settling in a large armchair to watch the rugby. Faced with this challenge I was determined to bake a cake that even D couldn’t resist.
I skimmed though all our books and found a recipe for a Christmas cake that sounded lighter than usual and tinkered with the ingredients. I replaced the darker ingredients, molasses, stout and muscavado sugar with lighter alternatives. We didn’t cut it until Boxing Day, when I spotted Danny sneaking into the kitchen for a second slice. Slightly paler than a traditional cake, it was packed with fruit, tasted wonderful and kept well. The last slice was tucked into my lunchbox at the end of January.
If you fancy trying a more traditional recipe, here are two links to sites with Christmas cake recipes that look good:
There is a Mary Berry recipe here http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/apricotandbrandychri_77766.shtml
Delia Smith has a range of recipes here http://www.deliaonline.com/search/?qx=christmas+cake
Last minute Christmas cake recipe:
Equipment:
8″ round cake tin (4″ deep), baking parchment.
Ingredients:
- 450g raisins
- 285g sultanas
- 110g currants
- 180g glacé cherries (halved)
- 110g ground almonds
- 225g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 225g soft brown sugar (pale)
- 285g plain flour (sieved)
- zest of a lemon
- 5 eggs
- 2 tsp of mixed spice
- 2 tbsp of pale runny honey
- 200 ml of beer (I used Speckled Hen)
- 4 tbsp of Irish Whiskey/Whisky/ Brandy – when the baked cake has cooled
Method:
- Preheat oven to 160c (140 fan)
- Line the base and sides of the 8″ cake tin with a double thickness of baking parchment. Cut the paper an inch deeper than the tin so that it is sticking above the top rim.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (I use an electric mixer for this).
- Beat the eggs well and add them gradually to the mixture, a little at a time, beating them well. If the mixture curdles beat in a teaspoon of the flour before continuing.
- Using a tablespoon, gently fold in the flour, lemon zest and spices.
- Fold in the beer and honey and stir gently.
- Add the fruit and ground almonds and stir gently.
- Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and make a hollow in the centre of the mixture (roughly 2″ wide and 1″ deep).
- Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for about 2.5 hours depending on your oven, it may need a little longer. Check that it is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle – this should be clean when removed. The centre should feel firm and springy if touched.
- Turn out onto a wire rack. When it is cold, make a few holes in the top and bottom of the cake (using a skewer) and feed the cake with the Irish whiskey (brandy would be fine as an alternative).
- Wrap the cake in baking parchment and store in a tin or cover with foil until you need it.
- If you would like to make your own marzipan – it’s very easy and so much better than bought. My recipe is here
Tips and tricks:
- If you are going to cover the cake with marzipan and ice it, put the marzipan on a few days before it is iced so the surface of the marzipan can dry. Otherwise the marzipan can bleed through and stain the icing.
- I sliced off the top of my cake before putting on the marzipan so the top would be flat. Or use the base as the top.
Leave a reply
Fenella8,
I have already made mine and aslong as you feed it with plenty of brandy every week, it will kepp til the new year!! Well I did last year and I wasn’t ill tee hee … hic :0)!
Having discovered this recipe, I had to bake the cake as soon as possible; just couldn’t wait, as usual! It’s in the oven now, and smells wonderful. The trouble is I think I’ve jumped the gun here – the cake is going to be elderly by Christmas Day (bit like myself!) – do you think it would freeze down ok?
I used this recipe last year and made them for my family, will be making several today, this time for friends aswell as family!! This recipe is a winner and soo easy.. The feeding with extra Brandy and soaking the fruit the night before always helps :0)
Thanks
Hi Fiona
Last year I decided to make your Chistmas cake at the last minute and it proved so popular with my family, I’ve made two this year.
I’ve also used your Christmas pudding recipe again this year.
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site nearly a year ago. These two recipes are brilliant and I always look on your site now if I need a specific recipe.
Thanks.
Hello JG
Yes I love this cake too. It’s very forgiving as you can play with the ingredients a bit too.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
Hi Diane C
I’m always way behind preparing for Christmas and this recipe always saves the day.
Thanks for dropping by.
I love the sound of this recipe, so I have printed out the article, and will be making it in December, I always end up making a cake at the last minute, so it’s good to actually have a ‘last-minute’ recipe to follow!
I made this cake a couple of weeks ago – a bit of a test run if you like (me baking = disaster usually). Making another one this weekend as the other one has been eaten – it was fab-u-lous! Best cake I’ve ever tried. I cut out the currants and made up the weight with raisins & sultanas last time – deciding whether to use dried apricots or dates this time…
Hi Jane
Great that you are going to try this cake. Remember that this is a last minute Christmas cake. It’s much lighter than a traditional cake so doesn’t keep for months. Usually I make it a couple of weeks before Christmas and have the last slice sometime in January. It’s eaten within six weeks.
Alternative ingredients are dried apricots and candied peel.
I always use soft icing over homemade marzipan.
I am planning on trying to cook this for Christmas this year, but am considering leaving out the currants and the cherries. Is there anything you can recommend that I should add instead of just increasing the quantities of the others? Also, sorry if you have answered this elsewhere, but what type of icing did you use?
Thanks!
i’ve just made this as a last minute wedding cake request-i made 2 cupcake size ones with a little of the batter to taste and even hubby who hates fruit cake fought me for one!
Hi Rachel
We love this cake too and are not normally fruit cake fans.
Thanks for leaving a comment.