This traditional English Christmas cake is a rich, boozy fruit cake with warming spices, a hint of citrus and is packed with festive flavours. It can be enjoyed on its own, with cheese or decorated with marzipan and icing.
This Christmas cake recipe is simple to follow and has no difficult steps. Simply mix the ingredients, transfer to a tin and bake!
I have included tips on soaking and feeding and also instructions on how to make an alcohol free Christmas cake.
This is a make-ahead classic improves with time. Similar to homemade mincemeat, this cake can be made weeks or months before Christmas. If the cake is made in advance it can be fed with extra alcohol to keep it moist. Not only does this give your cake a chance to mature it will also leave you more free time towards Christmas.
While this festive cake can be made several months in advance, it can also be made as a last minute Christmas cake. Either way, your homemade Christmas cake will add a touch of luxury to your celebrations.
If you are looking for other ideas for Christmas treats you may also like to try mince pies, brandy snaps, mincemeat Chelsea buns, gingerbread biscuits, this festive lattice tart, mincemeat crumble slices or mulled wine.
And when the time comes to plan your Christmas dinner here are a few recipes you may wish to take a look at including apricot stuffing balls, roast sprouts with pomegranate, hasselback carrots, vegetarian sausages and vegan nut roast.
And you may like to try one of these other traditional English baking recipes.
Ingredients for your traditional English Christmas cake
- Mixed dried fruit - such as currants, raisins, sultanas and/or mixed peel. A packet of mixed dried fruit commonly sold in the UK is perfect for this recipe.
- Glacé cherries - these will add colour to your Christmas cake. Fresh cherries are not suitable for this recipe.
- Lemon zest - ideally use an organic unwaxed lemon, otherwise, lightly scrub before zesting.
- Orange zest - similar to the lemons, use unwaxed fruit or lightly scrub before zesting.
- Sherry, brandy or rum - soak the dried fruit and zest in alcohol before adding to the other Christmas cake ingredients. Use cold tea or fruit juice if you want to make a Christmas cake without alcohol.
- Butter - use either salted or unsalted butter depending on your preference and what you have in your fridge.
- Plain flour - also known as multi purpose flour. You can substitute self raising flour but if you do then omit the 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Baking powder - if you substitute self-raising flour for plain flour then there is no need to use baking powder.
- Treacle - treacle will add a rich flavour and colour to your homemade Christmas cake.
- Eggs - eggs will add moisture to the cake and will help to bind the other ingredients.
- Soft dark brown sugar - dark brown sugar will add a deep richness to the cake.
- Ground mixed spice - this will add a sweet spiciness to your Christmas cake.
You will also need
You will also need a 20cm by 20cm (about 8" by 8") loose bottomed non-stick square cake tin and non-stick baking parchment.
The day before making the cake
Measure the dried fruit into a baking bowl. Add the orange and lemon zest and the sherry (or brandy or rum). Cover and leave to soak overnight. If you haven't soaked the fruit and wish to make your cake straight away see the FAQs below.
How to make Christmas cake without alcohol
For an alcohol free British Christmas cake, soak the fruit in cold tea or fruit juice such as freshly squeezed orange juice instead of alcohol. Your alcohol free Christmas cake will keep in an airtight tin for a week or two. It can also be frozen.
How to make Christmas cake
Place the butter, eggs, sugar and treacle in a bowl and beat slowly with an electric mixer or by hand.
Sift the flour into the bowl. Add the baking powder and ground mixed spice and mix thoroughly.
Add the soaked dried fruit to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix everything together.
Line the cake tin with greaseproof paper and lightly grease.
Pack the cake mixture into the tin and cover loosely with foil, leaving a space between the top of the cake and the foil.
How to bake
Bake the Christmas cake at gas mark 1, 275oF, 140oC until cooked (about 4 to 4.5 hours). You can check the cake is ready by piercing with a warm skewer. If the skewer comes out clean then the cake is cooked.
Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack.
How to store your moist fruit cake
When your cake has cooled, wrap in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin where it will keep well for several months. (See feeding instructions in next section).
How to feed your Christmas cake
Feed your Christmas cake with alcohol once every couple of weeks. This will help to preserve it and also stop it drying out.
Take the cake out of the airtight tin and unwrap it. Pierce the top of the cake several times using a skewer. Drizzle a little alcohol over the top of the cake so that it filters into the newly formed holes.
Wrap the cake again in greaseproof paper and return to the airtight tin.
Repeat every couple of weeks until you are ready to enjoy your cake or decorate it.
How to serve Christmas cake
- My favourite way to enjoy Christmas cake is as a plain fruit cake topped with cheese. Wensleydale or Cheshire are perfect for pairing with this rich fruit cake.
- Decorate your cake with marzipan and royal icing. Heat a small amount of apricot jam in a saucepan to dab the cake to help the marzipan stay in place. Roll out a layer of marzipan and cover the cake. Roll out the royal icing. Add further dabs of jam to the marzipan and lay the icing over the marzipan. You could cover the whole cake with marzipan and icing or just the top.
- Alternatively you could top your homemade Christmas cake with whole blanched almonds, pecans, glacé cherries and/or candied fruit.
Tips
- After zesting the orange and lemon the fruit can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the fridge until you are ready to use them.
- To measure the treacle, heat the spoon either in a jug of hot water before using it so that it slides easily off the spoon.
FAQs
You can make your Christmas cake at any time but ideally between 6 weeks and 3 months before Christmas so it has chance to mature. However, you can still make your cake on Christmas Eve, you will still have a deliciously moist Christmas cake which will be better than any mass produced cake.
The alcohol (or cold tea or fruit juice) will keep your Christmas cake moist. If you make you Christmas cake in advance I recommend feeding with alcohol to make sure your fruit cake stays moist.
Yes, you can make your traditional English Christmas cake without alcohol but if you don't use alcohol it will keep for around 1 to 2 weeks. I have followed this Christmas cake recipe using cold tea instead of alcohol and it produces a beautifully moist fruit cake. Simply soak the dried fruit in cold tea and proceed with the recipe above.
Alternatively, you could substitute fruit juice such as freshly squeezed orange juice in place of alcohol.
Ideally you should soak the fruit in alcohol overnight so that it is packed with moisture and flavour. But if you have forgotten to soak the fruit or wish to make the cake straight away, place the fruit in a saucepan with the alcohol and heat gently until the fruit has absorbed the alcohol. You fruit will then be ready to add to the other Christmas cake ingredients.
Other Christmas recipes
- Vegetarian mincemeat for mince pies (no suet)35 Minutes
- Frangipane mince pies1 Hours
- Apple and mincemeat tart45 Minutes
- Brandy snaps50 Minutes
Traditional English Christmas cake
Equipment
- 20cm square loose bottomed cake tin
Ingredients
- 600 g mixed dried fruit (currants, raisins, sultanas, mixed peel, etc)
- 225 g glacé cherries
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 orange zest
- 120 ml sherry (or brandy or rum)
- 175 g butter
- 150 g flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon treacle
- 3 eggs
- 175 g soft brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 1 dash oil
Instructions
The day before baking the cake
- Measure the dried fruit into a bowl. Add the orange zest, lemon zest and sherry (or brandy or rum). Stir, cover and leave to soak overnight. If you have forgotten to soak the fruit or wish to make the cake straight away, place the fruit in a saucepan with the alcohol and heat gently until the fruit has absorbed the alcohol.
To prepare the cake
- Place the butter, eggs, sugar and treacle in a large bowl and beat slowly with an electric mixer or by hand.
- Sieve the flour into the bowl with the other ingredients. Add the baking powder and ground mixed spice and mix well.
- Add the soaked dried fruit to the other ingredients and mix well.
- Line the cake tin with greaseproof paper and lightly grease.
- Pack the cake mixture into the tin and loosely cover with foil leaving a space between the top of the cake and the foil.
To bake
- Preheat the oven to 140°C, 275°F, gas mark 1 and then bake for around 4 to 4½ hours or until cooked. Pierce with a warm skewer to check it is cooked.
- Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack.
To store
- When the cake has cooled, wrap in a double layer of greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin.
- The cake can be eaten straight away or can be stored for several months in an airtight tin.
- The cake can be left as it is or you can add extra alcohol at intervals before eating. If you wish to add more alcohol, pierce the top of the cake with a skewer in several places and drizzle a little more alcohol into the holes.
- The cake can be enjoyed as a simple fruit cake or can be decorated to your choice. The nutritional information is for an undecorated cake.
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