This Christmas cake recipe is a rich, dark fruit cake made with sultanas, raisins, apricots, dates and cranberries soaked overnight in brandy. It bakes low and slow at 140°C for about 4 hours in a 20cm deep round tin.

Mary Berry calls her Classic Rich Christmas Cake “virtually foolproof”, so I used her low oven and long bake as my template. Then I swapped her candied peel and black treacle for apricots, dates and date syrup, because I find peel too bitter in a cake this rich.

The part that protects all that fruit is the tin. Line it with a double layer of baking parchment, then lay another loose double layer over the top, so the outside stays soft while the middle slowly cooks through.

Christmas Cake Recipe

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

Calories

430

kcal

Total time

hours

minutes

Our own make-ahead Christmas cake for anyone who likes the classic dark fruit cake but not the peel. Bake it in November, feed it through December, and ice it the week before Christmas.

Ingredients

For the fruit (soak overnight):
250g (9oz) sultanas
200g (7oz) raisins
150g (5oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, snipped
150g (5oz) dates, stoned and chopped
100g (4oz) glacé cherries, quartered, rinsed and dried
75g (3oz) dried cranberries
4 tbsp brandy, plus extra for feeding
For the cake:
250g (9oz) plain flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
225g (8oz) butter, softened
200g (7oz) dark muscovado sugar
4 large eggs
75g (3oz) ground almonds
1 tbsp date syrup
finely grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
To finish:
3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
675g (1½lb) marzipan
675g (1½lb) ready-to-roll icing

Directions

Soak: The night before, mix all the fruit with the brandy in a large bowl. Cover and leave in a cool place overnight.
Prepare: Heat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/Gas 1. Grease the tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of baking parchment.
Mix: Put the flour, spices, butter, sugar, eggs, ground almonds, date syrup and both zests in a large bowl. Beat until smooth, then fold in the soaked fruit.
Fill: Spoon into the tin and level the top with the back of a spoon. Cover the top loosely with a double layer of baking parchment.
Bake: Bake for about 4 hours, checking from 3½ hours, until firm to the touch and a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
Feed and store: Pierce the cake all over with a fine skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp brandy. Keep the lining parchment on, wrap in more parchment and foil, and feed every week or two.
Marzipan: About two weeks before Christmas, brush the cake with the jam and cover with rolled-out marzipan. Leave to dry for a week.
Ice: Cover with the ready-to-roll icing and decorate as you like.

FAQs

How far ahead should I make it?

Berry says a rich fruit cake can be made up to three months ahead, as long as you give it time to be fed and mature. Mid-November is a sensible start, since that leaves around six weeks of feeding.

She also keeps the lining parchment on during storage, because it helps the cake stay moist. That’s why step 6 wraps over the paper instead of peeling it off.

Why do glacé cherries sink in Christmas cake?

The sticky syrup on the cherries makes them slide through the batter as it bakes. Berry quarters them, rinses them under running water, then dries them thoroughly on kitchen paper before they go near the bowl.

I’d add that drying matters as much as rinsing. Wet cherries carry water into the cake, which loosens the batter around them and lets them drop anyway.

How do I know the cake is done?

A long bake like this needs two checks, because the top can look ready while the centre is still soft. Press the middle gently: it should feel firm, and a skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean.

Berry checks the colour after 2 hours on her rich cakes, which is a good habit here too. If the top is darkening fast, add another sheet of parchment over that loose cover from step 4.

When should I add the marzipan and icing?

Berry covers her cake with almond paste about a week before icing it, so the oils in the marzipan dry out first. Otherwise they can seep into white icing and leave yellow patches.

So work backwards from Christmas Day. Marzipan the cake by around 15 December, then ice it the week after.

Can I make a Christmas cake without feeding it?

Yes, though not this one, since the feeding is what keeps a rich cake moist for weeks. If you’re short on time, Berry’s Fast Mincemeat Christmas Cake in her Baking Bible needs no feeding and bakes in about 1¾ hours.

It’s a lighter cake made with luxury mincemeat and currants, so it’s also the better choice for a table that doesn’t want brandy. The trade-off is that it doesn’t keep or mature like a rich cake.

What else goes on the Christmas table with it?

If you’re making this cake, you’re probably planning ahead for the whole meal. Our Christmas pudding with dates and figs uses the same make-ahead rhythm, so you can soak both batches of fruit on the same evening.

For leftover marzipan, Berry’s mincemeat and marzipan tart is a good home for it. And if you want something spiced but lighter, try Nigella’s vegan gingerbread.