Printable Recipe
Christmas Fruit Cake
An easy Christmas cake that turns out perfect every time. No creaming, beating or soaking of fruit required! Plus tips on storage and feeding your Christmas cake.
Yield
10-12
Ingredients
15
Steps
13
Filed under: dessert, cake, baking, citrus.
Source channel: Kitchen Sanctuary
Key ingredients
unsalted butter, chopped, light brown Muscovado sugar, mixed dried fruit, glacé cherries, roughly chopped, dried cranberries.
Ingredients
- 175 g unsalted butter, chopped
- 210 g light brown Muscovado sugar
- 400 g mixed dried fruit
- 200 g glacé cherries, roughly chopped
- 100 g dried cranberries
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 120 ml cherry brandy
- 85 g ground almonds
- 3 large eggs
- 200 g plain/all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
Method
- Heat on a medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle bubble and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
- Line a 20 centimeter cake tin with a removable base with parchment paper, including higher sides and a circle for the base.
- Add ground almonds to the cooled fruit mixture and stir.
- Add eggs and stir.
- Add dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, mixed spice, cinnamon, and allspice, and stir until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
- Bake for 45 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 140°C (275°F) and bake for an additional 60-75 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the top is dark golden brown.
- If the top darkens too much, cover with foil.
- While still warm, make 10-12 holes in the cake with a skewer and spoon 4 tablespoons of cherry brandy over the top.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin, then remove and wrap in double parchment and foil, storing in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Feed the cake weekly with 2 tablespoons of cherry brandy until a few days before marzipanning and icing.