Angela Nilsen's Christmas cake

Angela Nilsen's Christmas cake

A long-life Christmas cake that's bursting with flavours of spices and vanilla

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Cuts into 16 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 - 50 mins

Cook time

Cook 2 hrs - 2 hrs 45 mins

Freezable

Can be frozen, but no need to

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Line the base and sides of a 20 cm round, 7.5 cm deep cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 mins until very creamy and pale in colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through. Stir in a spoonful of the flour, then stir in the beaten egg and the rest of the flour alternately, a quarter at a time, beating well each time with a wooden spoon. Stir in the almonds.
  2. Mix in the sherry (the mix will look curdled), then add the peel, cherries, raisins, cherries, nuts, lemon zest, spice, rosewater and vanilla. Beat together to mix, then stir in the baking powder.
  3. Spoon mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 mins, then lower temperature to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and bake a further 2-2¼ hrs, until a skewer insterted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then take out of the tin and peel off the lining paper. When completely cold, wrap well in cling film and foil to store until ready to decorate. The cake will keep for several months.

Per slice

427 kcalories, protein 7.0g, carbohydrate 53.0g, fat 22.0 g, saturated fat 8.0g, fibre 2.0g, sugar 17.0g, salt 0.42 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2004.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • 09 December 2007

    yummystuff commented on this recipe

    I made this today and it turned out well. Easy to make and the mixture looked 'right' if you know what I mean. It didn't curdle. I followed the recipe exactly except for substituting rum for the sherry. I put whole almonds in circles on the top of my cake as I don't want to ice it. I'm just going to put a tartan ribbon around it. The almonds didn't sink and it looks really nice. Will let you all know what it tastes like after Christmas!

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  • 07 January 2008

    CatR commented on this recipe

    This is a delicious and easy recipe. 2 people devoured 3/4 of it (gave 1/4 to my mother) in under a month. It stayed moist and flavorsome the entire time. I used hazelnuts instead of pecans and Cointreau instead of sherry, as that was what was to hand. I liked that I made it about a week and half before Christmas and it didn't need feeding, so wasn't a really "boozy" cake.

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  • 15 November 2008

    Barny82 commented on this recipe

    I've tried this recipe this afternoon. This is my first try of making a Christmas cake fingers crossed it goes well. Its in the oven as we speak and filling the flat with the smell of Christmas (think to much mixed spice fell into bowl oops).

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  • 15 November 2008

    Becka commented on this recipe

    i just made this today, it's my first christmas cake too :) i used sultanas in place of the mixed peel (does anyone actually like that) but other than that i stuck to the recipe. it's cooling now and looks perfect yay! going to keep it under my bed and feed it til christmas! x x x

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  • 20 November 2008

    Ali Lenton commented on this recipe

    Made this for my brother serving in Afghanistan. As it naturally has a long life, hopefully it'll survive the rigmarole of the journey and still be delicious when it reaches the guys. Hopefully, we'll have a photo to prove it in the new year! Smells great, I can't wait to hear that they've got it. :D

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  • 07 December 2008

    Ursula commented on this recipe

    I want to make this cake for my mum but i am having trouble finding rosewater, I am in the Republic of Ireland so if anyone could let me know where to get it that would be great. Thanks

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  • 17 December 2008

    YummyMummy commented on this recipe

    Made this cake, the first Christmas cake I have ever made. I left out the rosewater as I couldn't get hold of it, then I 'fed it' some extra sherry for a couple of weeks. We started on it a week ago and there is only a quarter left. Very fruity and moist. Very easy to make and delicious. My 2 year old loved helping to make it, but Mummy licked the sherry bowl!

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  • 17 December 2008

    YummyMummy rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • 05 January 2009

    soraya rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    So good that my sister and her husband who were visiting from Paris, took part of it. A great success.

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  • 07 January 2009

    Ruby Bell commented on this recipe

    This is a gorgeous moist tasty cake. I couldnt find rosewater as I didnt look too hard (I could have found it if I had gone into town) so used some fresh orange juice instead. Also soaked the fruit for a very short time in some rum. Great success.

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  • 05 February 2009

    Kammleitn commented on this recipe

    I have now made this cake twice - once for Christmas and the other time, for New Year. I don't normally like Christmas cake, but this was delicious - very moist and so full of flavour. No need to try any other Christmas cake recipe - this is the one for me!! (Used Cointreau instead of sherry, and as we can't get Rosewater in Austria, I omitted it)

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  • 24 July 2009

    Becky commented on this recipe

    This cake was simple to make and although I did not use all of the quantities of ingredients, it tasted delish...not sure if it had something to do with the amount of brandy used!!!!! Would recommend to anyone!!!

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  • 05 August 2009

    willgeary23 commented on this recipe

    I made this cake yesterday, even though it isnt christmas, but yeh, i was bored so i thought i'd give it a go. It took me ages to make it cos i didnt have all the ingredients (i mean, who has rose water in their cupboards??) so i had to go to waitrose ( that's where everyone who goes on this website shops, right?). when i'd made it, about 2 hours later, i left it on the work top, next to the rosewater, and i came in the room after playing some croquet on the lawn to find the dorg licking it!! Well it tell you, i was horrified! So i iced it and donated it to the W.I fete. They wouldnt know...

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  • 06 September 2009

    Alison commented on this recipe

    Hi, I am thinking of making this for as this years christmas cake but my husband is allegic to nuts!! Does anybody know if I can just omit the nuts or use extra fruit in its place? Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

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  • 12 November 2009

    Cook Alison commented on this recipe

    My family don't like nuts in their fruit cakes so I tend just to leave them out, I don't usually bulk up the fruit content as I tend to think it makes the cakes a wee bit heavy.

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  • 18 November 2009

    mmmmmmmmlekker commented on this recipe

    you can get rosewater at your local middle-easternshop (turkish, marrocan or something like that). I am going to try and make one, my first one, as well. Fingers crossed!!

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  • 18 September 2010

    Laura the Baker rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This cake is great! A foolproof recpe which i used last year to make 4 cakes for my relative which i decorated with marzipan, icing and elegant icing decortaions- they were a hit! I fully recommend this recipe.

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  • 24 October 2010

    wee senga commented on this recipe

    this is a great wee recipe, and do not be afraid to mix and match a wee bit more, as long as the contents you use fall in about the same weight as the ingredients mentioned, I add sultanas in the place of mixed peel, as some people dont like the peel, its a good way to use up all the bits and bobs left in the store cupboard, just make sure you have a good quality butter, eggs etc, and more importantly , its your special recipe your friends will be begging you for it. good luck.

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  • 31 October 2010

    rockcakeswales commented on this recipe

    Made this cake today,Left out the Rose Water,and used Rum and a tot of whiskey!!! The house smells of Christmas,Going to make 5 more this week for Christmas presents for family and going to Regal Ice them and Tartan Ribbon with a Santa on top,stunning and so easy to make :)

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  • 31 October 2010

    rockcakeswales rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    5 stars *****

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Cuts into 16 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 45 - 50 mins

Cook time

Cook 2 hrs - 2 hrs 45 mins

Freezable

Can be frozen, but no need to

Ingredients

  • 200g butter , softened to room temperature
  • 200g dark muscovado sugar
  • 200g plain flour
  • 4 eggs , beaten
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 100ml sherry , sweet or dry, whatever you have in the cupboard
  • 85g candied peel , roughly chopped (we used Sundora)
  • 85g glacé cherries , roughly chopped
  • 250g raisins
  • 250g currants
  • 100g pack pecans nuts, broken into big pieces
  • finely grated zest 1 lemon
  • 1½ tsp mixed spice
  • 1½ tsp rosewater
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp baking powder
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Per slice

427 kcalories, protein 7.0g, carbohydrate 53.0g, fat 22.0 g, saturated fat 8.0g, fibre 2.0g, sugar 17.0g, salt 0.42 g

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