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.
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I’ve just put mine in the oven! Not enough raisins in the cupboard so put in some prunes as well. Fingers crossed…
I made this cake last year for my parents and they loved it so have made another one this year. I found I had to cook it for longer as it was still doughy in the centre. I give it a couple of feeds of brandy and it tastes delicious.
wow cake just out of oven, smells and looks amazing. i was so unsure when mixing ingredients as they looked awful and then my electric mixer broke but it looks fab… soaked fruit for 48 hours in brandy… will deffo be making more of this cake 🙂
Hi Jenni
This is the only cake that I make – all year, it’s always a hit
thank you, i will post to let you know how it went 🙂
Please advise how to stop the egg adding process not to curdle and how to adjust at the end if the mixture looks very ‘wet’ as I’m sure that is why my first attempt has a doughy centre!
Hello, I am definately making this cake this year and following the exact recipe, however, I would like to soak my fruit in alcohol first. Does this alter the recipe at all? Thank you x
Hi Jenni
I haven’t tried soaking the fruit myself but I know that others that have made this cake have soaked their fruit without disastrous results. So I’d go ahead!
thankyou soo much, iv’e always wanted to make a xmas cake but never had time. well last week me and my children made this cake and really enjoyed the experience. cant wait to marzipan it and ice it, then my kids(9yrs and 4yrs) can decorate it! hope everyone enjoys a slice! thankyou once again
Hi Lianne
It’s so good to hear that you made this cake with your children. Everyone seems to like this cake as it’s not too dark and heavy. In fact it’s perfect for a celebration cake any time of the year. It’s the only fruit cake that D enjoys so it’s a pleasure for me to make at Christmas as I love it too. A slice just fills that ‘i need something sweet’ gap for weeks!
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for that, I will probably go with Sherry as I have some already in stock and I also prefer the flavour.
Cannot wait to marzipan and ice it with your recommendations!
After all of the wonderful comments you have all inspired me to make my first Christmas cake in many many years, my husband and I are not fond of dark rich fruit cake so I was delighted to find a lighter version to try.
I baked it today and it smelt delicious, I am Type 2 diabetic so I will resist temptation to try some now and treat myself to a slice at Christmas!
Only one question on “feeding” the cake I do not like whiskey will the cake taste of it or is it more of a preservative and would sherry be an alternative or does it need to be a spirit?
Hi Clemintina
Danny is Irish and I wanted to tempt him to try this cake so I used Irish Whiskey. The cake should not taste of the alcohol. Any substantial alcohol would do – whisky, sherry, brandy, rum etc. In stretched years I’ve just added the beer in the cooking and left out the whiskey. It lasted for several weeks and tasted fine! The added alcohol will add to the lifespan of the cake.
I LIVE IN CYPRUS AND OUR TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAKE -BROUGHT BY THE BRITISH-IS VERY VERY HEAVY AND IT IS FEET WITH CONIAC I ALWAYS HATED IT LAST YEAR I WANTED AN ALTERNATIVE RECIPE AND I FOUND YOURS I MADE IT TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS I BAKED IT IN 3 SMALLER PANS AND IT WAS FABULOUS I GAVE THE TWO CAKES TO MY MOTHER AND MOTHER-IN-LAW FIRST THEY LAUGHT AT ME BUT WHEN THEY CUT IT THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR THE LAST SLICES WE ARE ALL VERY ANCTUS TO MAKE IT AGAIN THESE YEAR THANK YOU FOR THAT GREAT RECIPE