Sherry & almond Christmas cake

Sherry & almond Christmas cake

Packed with almonds, both ground and whole, and fed with raisiny PX sherry, this is intensely fruity - but not overly rich

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Cuts into 12 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs

Prep 30 mins plus overnight soaking
Freezable

Method

  1. Mix the fruit, zest, juice and sherry, and leave overnight to soak. Next day, heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and double-line a deep, 20cm round cake tin. Wrap the outside with brown paper or newspaper and secure with string, as this will protect the sides from overcooking.
  2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds together until pale and creamy. Mix the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice together, then tip into the butter mix with the eggs. Beat until combined and smooth. Stir in the whole almonds, fruit and any leftover juices, turn into the tin, then smooth the top and make a dip in the middle. Bake for 1½ hrs.
  3. Turn down the oven to 140C/fan 130C/ gas 2, then bake for 1½ hrs more until dark on the top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, or with a few damp crumbs clinging to it. Once cool enough to handle, turn onto a cooling rack and peel away the lining paper. Cool completely.
  4. Keep the cake well wrapped, then feed once a fortnight with 1-2 tbsp sherry. Poke holes into the cake with a skewer and slowly spoon over the sherry. If you don't have time to do this, this cake is delicious freshly made, and can be covered and decorated as soon as it has completely cooled down.

PER SERVING WITH ICING AND MARZIPAN

1079 kcalories, protein 19g, carbohydrate 137g, fat 54 g, saturated fat 15g, fibre 0g, sugar 126g, salt 0.6 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo Sarah

    24 October 2008

    Sarah commented on this recipe

    Where can I buy PX Sherry? Thanks

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  • Binder photo taross

    24 October 2008

    taross rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Sarah, You can buy PX from the dessert wine section in Tesco - it's sold in a 50ml bottle. I've made this cake for Christmas, it smelled really lovely after it came out the oven, can't wait to taste it.

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  • Binder photo Sarah

    25 October 2008

    Sarah commented on this recipe

    Thank you so much for your help - Its really has helped me. I'm looking forward to cooking this! Thanks again Sarah

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  • Binder photo cookingforgirls

    01 November 2008

    cookingforgirls commented on this recipe

    Does anyone have any comment on the taste and texture of this cake?

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  • Binder photo terrys

    14 November 2008

    terrys commented on this recipe

    have tried to make this cake twice now both times the cake was two `wet` even after 5 hours baking. Has anone else found this

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  • Binder photo kmillen1

    14 November 2008

    kmillen1 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really easy to make, used cream sherry as couldn't find Px Sherry. Smells lovely. Had a tiny crumb from the side tastes delicous, can't wait till Christmas!

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  • Binder photo Jane

    15 November 2008

    Jane commented on this recipe

    Hi Terrys I am wondering if you're cooking with a gas oven - sometimes when cooking at very low temperatures gas oven timings can vary from fan or conventional electric. If you are cooking with gas, double check that the shelf you've chosen is in the middle or just above the middle of the oven. If your oven is electric, you may need to check it with an oven thermometer. Hope this helps, Jane

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  • Binder photo Jaqi

    18 November 2008

    Jaqi rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I've also been cooking this today, in a gas oven, and it's taking longer than the method suggests. So far it's been in for almost 4 hours, and it's almost there, I hope. It's smelling and looking delicious! I couldn't find PX Sherry, so I used a different one. I can't wait to decorate this cake :) It's the first time I've made a Christmas Cake, so I'm pretty excited and this is looking to be a good recipe.

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  • Binder photo Kammleitn

    19 November 2008

    Kammleitn commented on this recipe

    I've made this cake twice in the last 2 weeks. The first cake broke as I took it out of the cake tin, much to the delight of my fiance! I have never seen a cake disappear so quickly! The second cake came out fine, and has been hidden away until our Christmas guests arrive. I substituted sherry for Cointreau, as we can't but sherry in Austria.

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  • Binder photo Petey's Grub

    25 December 2008

    Petey's Grub commented on this recipe

    This is just the best recepie ever - just how my nan used to make cake! So moist and great with crumbly wensleydale cheese (a Yorkshire thing)!!

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  • Binder photo Petey's Grub

    25 December 2008

    Petey's Grub rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo kez10uk

    26 December 2008

    kez10uk rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this cake about 8 weeks ago & have been pouring sherry over it every 2 weeks to keep it moist. The grand reveal was yesterday & everyone commented on how moist & delicious it was. The balance is just right, not to rich, or heavy, just perfect. Will keep this recipe to repeat next Christmas :o)

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  • Binder photo Great Food

    05 January 2009

    Great Food rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made an excellent moist cake, along with the vanilla marzipan, this was truly a christmas delight

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  • Binder photo Jaqi

    10 January 2009

    Jaqi commented on this recipe

    Having now eaten all of this cake, I have to say it was lovely! Really moist and tasty, and it lasted a long time as well. I fed it regularly with sherry which probably helped with the flavours and the moistness. Everyone who tried some really liked the cake - will consider making it again next year!

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  • Binder photo mother*ship

    23 March 2009

    mother*ship rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Have to confess that I was disappointed with this cake, with all the almond content I thought that the almond flavour would come through more strongly. Mine also turned out on the soggy side of moist, I should have taken heed of some of the previous comments.

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  • Binder photo Frenchmum

    27 April 2009

    Frenchmum commented on this recipe

    I tried this cake as a base for my first ever attempt at marzipan & fondant covered/ decorated cake. Everyone loved the taste of the cake but ifound it very difficult to cut/slice at room temperature due to the full almonds and possible because the whitworths mix i used had almost all raisins/sultanas etc and hardly any glaced fruit. Will be trying it again with a more balanced mix, chopped almonds. I have to add that once refrigerated for about 4 ¬5 hours i managed to shape a rectangular cake into a cross shape quite easily.

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  • Binder photo Angela

    25 May 2009

    Angela commented on this recipe

    I made this cake for a present to my mum who loves fruity- and nutty cakes. She loved it so much she has asked for another! Thanks for the suggestion of using cream sherry as I have found it difficult to find PX other than at Christmas.

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  • Binder photo debbie

    20 September 2009

    debbie commented on this recipe

    i am going to make this cake for christmas after it has cooked and cooles whats the best thing to wrap it in please

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  • Binder photo welsh lass

    08 October 2009

    welsh lass commented on this recipe

    Its the second year I have made this and once again the centre is very soggy. I found last year it started to fall apart when cutting. This year I tried testing with scewer and came out fine, left in oven overnight to cool but just taken the top off and noticed it just itsnt going to keep firm once the slices are taken out. I am wondering if soaking the fruit makes it too moist and impossible to set. I am contemplating making again as it is a lovely cake but with less sherry??? I'm so disappointed but cant face relatives laughing over the cake colaspse. I was using an electric fan oven which is new.

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  • Binder photo Petey's Grub

    20 October 2009

    Petey's Grub commented on this recipe

    Last year I made this cake and it came out perfect - this year although it was in for 4 and a half hours it still seems quite soggy and when it came out of the tin it started to collapse. I have a fan oven which I think cooks a little cool so perhaps that could be the issue looking at the note from Welsh Lass on 8th Oct 09. I am considering cutting in and seeing how it is, if it is ok then by the time it is wrapped in marzipan and icing nobody will know better but dreading it not being right - if not anybody got any ideas what I might be able to do with it rather than waste it?

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Cuts into 12 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs

Prep 30 mins plus overnight soaking
Freezable

Ingredients

  • 1kg bag mixed dried fruit (not one with cherries)
  • zest and juice 2 large oranges
  • 150ml PX (Pedro Ximenez) sherry , plus extra for feeding
  • 250g pack butter , softened, plus extra for the tin
  • 250g light muscovado sugar
  • seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod
  • 140g plain flour
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 4 large eggs , beaten
  • 140g whole almonds
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PER SERVING WITH ICING AND MARZIPAN

1079 kcalories, protein 19g, carbohydrate 137g, fat 54 g, saturated fat 15g, fibre 0g, sugar 126g, salt 0.6 g

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