Make & mature Christmas cake
By James Martin
Cooking time
Prep: 25 mins Cook: 2 hrs, 10 mins Plus coolingSkill level
EasyServings
Cuts into 12-15 slicesPrepare this fruit cake in advance and feed it regularly with rum, brandy or whisky to build the flavour and keep it moist
Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition per slice (12)
- kcalories
- 678
- protein
- 9g
- carbs
- 88g
- fat
- 29g
- saturates
- 12g
- fibre
- 3g
- sugar
- 79g
- salt
- 0.6g
Ingredients
- 1kg mixed dried fruits (use a mix of raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, cranberries, prunes or figs)
- zest and juice 1 orange
- zest and juice 1 lemon
- 150ml brandy, Sherry, whisky or rum, plus extra for feeding
- 250g pack butter, softened
- 200g light soft brown sugar
- 175g plain flour
- 100g ground almonds
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 100g flaked almonds
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Method
- Put the dried fruit, zests and juice, alcohol, butter and sugar in a large pan set over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Tip the fruit mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 30 mins.
- Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Line a deep 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, then wrap a double layer of newspaper around the outside – tie with string to secure.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the fruit mixture and stir well, making sure there are no pockets of flour. Tip into your prepared tin, level the top with a spatula and bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hrs.
- Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp of your chosen alcohol. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- To store, peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in cling film. Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight, until you ice it. Don’t feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2012
Comments, questions and tips
Comments
This was my first ever effort at making a Christmas cake and it was brilliant! The recipe was easy to follow and it tasted great and was a nice, moist cake. I don't have a 20 cm deep tin so used a 23 cm one and it was just fine. Also, used homemade sweet white wine (almost a sherry/port) for the soaking and feeding. Had to put a little 'hat' over the top of the cake after a while in the oven as it was getting a bit brown, but just kept my eye on it and removed the hat towards the end of baking. Will definitely be making agin next Christmas.
Okay....cake almost finished! It turned out really well, and any worries I had about it being dry were thankfully unfounded. I did end up "marinading" the fruit overnight as visitors arrived and so baking was postponed. And I used Cointreau as the "basting" liqueur as had no brandy left after marinade! I let it sit for just over 4 weeks before icing with orange zesty marzipan, and then some royal icing, having allowed the marzipan layer air-dry for 24 hours first. Having made this cake for first time, I am only sorry that I didnt make it before this, as I [and everyone who got to taste it!] LOVED it!
I was very disappointed when I cut this cake. The cake texture was very wet (although it was fine when it cooled and came out of the baking tin) and the icing and marzipan was 'sweaty'. It was matured for several weeks before icing and was stored as per the instructions, but thinking back I was doubtful about using cling film rather than greaseproof paper. Sorry, James, but I will be going back to St Delia next year.