Anne’s Guide to Baking a Traditional Christmas Cake
There is nothing quite like the rich, warming aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and dark sugar wafting through the kitchen to announce the arrival of the festive season.
A classic Christmas Cake is more than just a dessert; it is a time-honoured festive ritual.
Baking a beautiful, moist fruit cake is easier than you think. If you want to know the best tricks to keep your cake perfectly moist, follow the recipe below.
The Secret to Success: Planning Ahead
While you can bake a fruit cake closer to the big day, the absolute best results come from getting ahead.
Many bakers celebrate ‘Stir Up Sunday’ the last Sunday before Advent as the traditional start to the Christmas baking season. This gives you roughly four to six weeks to properly mature the flavours. Stir up Sunday this year is 22nd November.
Personally I prefer to start end of October so my cake is extra moist by Christmas!
Pre soaking your fruit is a MUST!
Place all the dried fruit, including the cherries, into a large mixing bowl, pour over the brandy and stir in the orange zest. Cover with cling film and leave to soak for THREE Days, stirring daily. The smell after x3 days is incredible!
Ingredients (Pre-Soak)
For the pre-soaking:
500g currents
250g sultanas
250g raisins
350g glacé cherries rinsed, and thoroughly dried
X2 Oranges (Zest Only)
150ml brandy (or sherry) for soaking plus extra to feed the cake (Raymon Blanc recommends using a rich Cognac which I like if I’m feeling indulgent)
Ingredients - The Cake
125g salted block butter for richness (softened)
125g baking butter
250g/9oz light or dark muscovado sugar
X4 large free-range eggs (at room temperature)
1 tbsp black treacle
75g/3oz blanched chopped almonds
275g plain flour
1½ tsp mixed spice
Zest of a lemon
Equipment
8 inch Round Loose-based Cake Tin, greased and lined with a DOUBLE layer of greaseproof paper
For an even bake, a baking belt can be a useful option (make your own with dampened kitchen roll wrapped in foil then tied around the outside of your tin)
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 140°C/120°C fan, gas mark 1
In a large bowl..
Measure and beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Add the eggs and beat again until thoroughly mixed
Add the treacle, almonds and lemon zest
Add the flour and ground spice and fold into your mix
Gradually stir in the soaked fruit.
Spoon into the prepared cake tin and level the surface.
*Anne’s Tip - Don’t simply pour your mixture into the tin as the air will be knocked out!
Baking your Christmas Cake
Bake on a mid/low shelf of your preheated oven for about 4–4½ hours, or until the cake feels firm to the touch and is a rich golden brown.
Check after two hours, and if the cake is a perfect colour, cover with pre-prepared foil to protect the top.
*Anne’s Tip - Do this quickly however and get it back into the oven so the temperature of your baking cake remains the same.
Cooling
After full baking time a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 30mins, then remove to completely cool on a wire rack.
Feeding and wrapping your Christmas Cake
When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little extra brandy.
Wrap the completely cold cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil and store in a cool place for up to three months, feeding at intervals (every couple of weeks) with 2 tablespoons of brandy or rich tipple of your choice until you are ready to eat or ice.
*Anne’s Tip - Don’t remove the lining paper when storing as this helps to keep the cake moist.
See! Easy as I said 🌲👍🎅🏽🌲
Perhaps come along to my ‘Decorate Your Christmas Cake Class’ where I will show you how to marzipan, ice and decorate your fabulous Christmas Cake.
Enjoy! X
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