Go Back
–+ servings
An undecorated traditional English Christmas cake made with dried fruit.

Traditional English Christmas cake

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 made weeks or months in advance or made as a last minute Christmas cake. This fruit cake can be enjoyed on its own, with cheese or decorated with marzipan and icing.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Soak fruit in alcohol 12 hours
Total Time 17 hours 10 minutes
Course Cake, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine British, English, European
Servings 24
Calories 210 kcal

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.

Notes

Note
The nutritional values are for an undecorated cake made using alcohol and using the ingredients listed above.  

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 96mgPotassium: 215mgFiber: 3gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 217IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Cake, Christmas, Festive, Traditional
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!