Classic Christmas Cake

A moist, rich fruit cake, soaked in brandy and baked slowly, ideal for making in advance.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 40 min
Cook: 3 hr 30 min
Total: 4 hours 10 minutes
Vegetarian
✅
Nuts
❌
Serves
16 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 700g mixed dried fruit
  • 100g glacé cherries, halved
  • 50g mixed peel
  • Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
  • 5 tbsp brandy, plus extra to feed the cake
  • 225g butter, softened
  • 225g dark soft brown sugar
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 225g plain flour
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp black treacle
  • 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed, to glaze

Method

  1. Soak the dried fruit, cherries, peel and zests in the brandy overnight.

  2. Heat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan)/gas mark 1. Grease and double-line a 20cm round deep tin.

  3. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs a little at a time, adding a spoonful of flour if it curdles.

  4. Fold in the flour, spices and treacle, then stir in the soaked fruit.

  5. Spoon into the tin, level the top and make a slight dip in the centre.

  6. Bake for 3 hours 30 minutes, covering with foil if it browns too quickly, until a skewer comes out clean.

  7. Cool in the tin. Poke holes in the cake and feed with a spoonful of brandy every week until Christmas, then brush with warm apricot jam.