Description
This Christmas Cake recipe is an easy and moist fruit cake packed with a variety of dried fruits soaked to perfection and enriched with warm spices. The cake is luscious and dense, perfect for festive occasions, and can be served plain or decorated traditionally with marzipan and fondant. It pairs beautifully with pouring custard for a classic holiday treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Fast Soaked Fruit
- 300g raisins
- 150g diced dried apricots, chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 75g mixed peel, diced 5mm / 1/5"
- 150g glace cherries, chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 180g dates, diced 5mm / 1/5"
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice, OR 1/3 cup brandy + 2/3 cup juice
Cake
- 120g unsalted butter, softened (1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, grapeseed)
- 3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 2/3 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
For Serving (Optional)
- 500ml pouring custard, homemade or store bought
White Christmas Cake Decoration (Optional)
- 250g "ready to roll" marzipan
- 250g "ready to roll" white fondant
- Cherries dusted with icing sugar
Other Decorating Options (Optional)
- Cherries or other fruit dusted with icing sugar
- Drippy white glaze (made as per lemon cake recipe without lemon juice)
Instructions
- Prepare Fruit Mix: Place all dried fruit and juice or brandy in a large microwavable container. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes until hot, then stir to coat all fruit in liquid. Cover and set aside for 1 hour to soak and cool.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 21-22 cm (8-9") round cake pan with baking paper, ensuring it is 7 cm (2.75") tall.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter and dark brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, approximately 1 minute.
- Add Oil and Molasses: Add vegetable oil and molasses, then beat until combined thoroughly.
- Add Spices and Baking Powder: Mix in salt, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder until incorporated.
- Add Eggs: Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until just combined to maintain batter integrity.
- Incorporate Flour: Stir in the plain flour gently until mostly combined.
- Add Fruit and Walnuts: Fold in the soaked fruit mixture including all extra liquid, and add chopped walnuts if using, ensuring even distribution.
- Bake Cake: Pour batter into prepared cake pan and cover with foil. Bake for 2 1/2 hours, then remove foil and continue baking for 30 to 45 minutes more until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cake: Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.
- Serve or Decorate: The cake can be eaten plain or decorated with marzipan and fondant following traditional Christmas decoration techniques. For serving, it pairs excellently with pouring custard.
- Decorating (Optional): Roll out marzipan and cover the cooled cake, smoothing pleats carefully with a wet knife. Repeat the process with white fondant. Create a quilted pattern on the sides with a blunt edge and place silver balls at intersections. Dust cherries with icing sugar and top the cake as desired for a festive finish.
Notes
- Dried Fruit: Use any combination totaling 855g finely chopped fruits. Chopping your own fruits enhances moisture, but pre-chopped dried fruit works well too for an ultra moist cake.
- Juice/Brandy: For alcohol use 1/3 cup brandy plus 2/3 cup juice; otherwise use all apple juice or other neutral-flavored juices like pineapple. Orange juice adds more citrus flavor.
- Sugar: Dark brown sugar creates rich color and flavor; substituting with regular brown sugar lightens the cake’s appearance.
- Molasses/Golden Syrup: Both enhance flavor richness and color; interchange based on preference.
- Custard: Homemade pouring custard is creamier, but store-bought custard can be improved by stirring in vanilla bean paste for enhanced flavor and visual appeal.
- Storage: Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 months or freeze for up to a year. Cake remains moist and flavorful.
- Serving Size: Rich and dense, this recipe serves 20-25 people, especially when cut into thin rectangular slices about 2 cm wide.
- Decoration Tips: Marzipan smooths the cake surface for fondant application. Fondant is more delicate but creates an elegant finish. Use a wet knife to smooth any tears or rough patches.
- Glaze Option: For a simple glaze, prepare a sweet white glaze without lemon juice and apply to the underside-flipped cake for a flat surface.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 80g)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
