Description
Make a traditional Christmas cake from scratch. This recipe includes instructions for soaking the fruit, baking the cake, and feeding it with orange juice for added flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 450 g Currants
- 200 g Sultanas
- 200 g Seedless Raisins
- 150 g Glace Cherries (Candied Cherries), halved
- 75 g Dried Mixed Peel (Candied Mixed Peel)
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 100–200 ml Orange Juice
- 275 g Butter or Margarine
- 275 g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
- 5 Free-range Eggs
- 75 g Ground Almonds
- 350 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 1 tsp Mixed Spice (Pumpkin Spice)
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine currants, sultanas, raisins, glace cherries, mixed peel, and orange zest. Pour over orange juice, mix well, cover, and soak overnight.
- Preheat oven to 150°c (130°c for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 2 or 300°F). Grease and line an 8-inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- In a separate large bowl, cream together butter/margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in ground almonds.
- Sift in flour, mixed spice, and cinnamon. Mix to create a thick batter.
- Combine cake batter with soaked dried fruit, ensuring all fruit is coated. Transfer to the prepared cake tin, spreading to the edges. Create a slight dip in the center.
- Wrap the cake tin in brown parcel paper secured with string. Cover the top with a dampened piece of greaseproof paper. Place the cake on an oven tray and bake.
- Bake for 3½-4 hours. Check after 3 hours and reduce oven temperature if browning too quickly. Insert a skewer into the center to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Remove from oven and cool completely in the tin. Once cool, remove from the tin but keep the greaseproof lining on. Cover with extra greaseproof paper, wrap in cling film and tin foil, and store in a safe place to mature.
- To feed the cake, unwrap after a couple of weeks and poke holes in the top. Brush with extra orange juice before re-wrapping and storing. Repeat this process a couple of times, if desired. Do not feed the cake in the week before decorating.
- Finish with marzipan, followed by fondant icing or royal icing, and decorate as desired.
Notes
- Exercise caution when using orange juice to feed a Christmas cake. Unlike alcohol, it will not be sterile and could cause your cake to mold if overfed or stored incorrectly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 60g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 80mg