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Traditional British Christmas cake packed with dried fruit and covered with white royal icing, decorated with festive holly and berries.
Jane at Brit & Skillet

Traditional British Christmas Cake

A rich, moist British Christmas cake packed with brandy-soaked dried fruit, warm spices and citrus, then matured before being covered with marzipan and snowy royal icing.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Soaking Time 12 hours
Total Time 16 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 20 small slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Soaked Fruit
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins 225 g
  • 1 1/2 cups currants 225 g
  • 1 cup golden raisins or sultanas 150 g
  • 3/4 cup chopped dried apricots 125 g
  • 1/2 cup candied mixed peel 85 g
  • 1/2 cup glacé cherries, quartered 75 g
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup brandy 120 ml
For the Cake
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 225 g, softened
  • 1 cup packed 200 g dark brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 220 g
  • 1/2 cup ground almonds / almond flour 50 g
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice*
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 2 tbsp molasses 30 ml
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds 60 g
For Feeding the Cake
  • About 1/3–1/2 cup brandy 80–120 ml, as needed over several weeks
For Decorating
  • 2 tbsp apricot preserves
  • About 1 lb marzipan 450 g
  • About 1 lb prepared royal icing 450 g, or enough to cover the cake

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • 8-inch (20 cm) deep round cake pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
  • Fine grater or zester
  • Pastry brush
  • Skewer or toothpick
  • Cooling rack
  • Aluminum foil

Method
 

Soak the fruit.
  1. Place the raisins, currants, golden raisins, apricots, mixed peel and glacé cherries in a large bowl.
  2. Add the orange and lemon zest and juice, then pour over the brandy.
  3. Stir thoroughly, cover and leave at room temperature for at least 12 hours or overnight, stirring once or twice if convenient.
Prepare the pan.
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
  2. Grease an 8-inch deep round cake pan. Line the base and sides with a double layer of parchment paper, allowing the paper to extend about 2 inches above the rim.
  3. Wrap a double layer of parchment around the outside of the pan and secure it with kitchen twine if desired. This helps protect the cake during its long bake.
Make the batter.
  1. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together until creamy and slightly lighter.
  2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the measured flour if the mixture begins to curdle.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, ground almonds, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg and salt.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
  5. Add the molasses and vanilla and stir until combined.
Add the fruit.
  1. Fold the soaked fruit, including any remaining soaking liquid, and the chopped almonds into the batter.
  2. Mix until the fruit is evenly distributed.
Fill the pan.
  1. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and press it gently into the corners.
  2. Smooth the top, then make a shallow indentation in the center with the back of a spoon. This helps produce a flatter finished cake.
Bake.
  1. Bake for approximately 3½–4 hours.
  2. Begin checking at about 3½ hours. A skewer inserted into the center should come out without wet batter attached.
  3. If the top begins browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil or parchment for the remainder of the baking time.
Cool the cake.
  1. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
  2. Once cold, remove it from the pan but leave the parchment around it while preparing it for storage.
Feeding and Maturing the Cake
  1. Use a skewer to make several small holes across the top of the cooled cake.
  2. Brush or spoon over 1–2 tablespoons of brandy.
  3. Wrap the cake first in fresh parchment paper and then tightly in foil. Store it in a cool, dry place.
  4. If you're maturing the cake for several weeks, feed it with another 1–2 tablespoons of brandy approximately once a week.
  5. Stop feeding it about a week before decorating.
  6. You don't need to use the entire quantity of brandy listed for feeding — the goal is to add small amounts gradually, not saturate the cake.
Decorating the Christmas Cake
    Add the marzipan.
    1. Warm the apricot preserves until loose, then strain if particularly chunky.
    2. Brush a thin layer over the outside of the cake.
    3. Roll the marzipan into a circle large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake.
    4. Lay it carefully over the cake and smooth it gently into place. Trim away the excess around the base.
    5. Allow the marzipan to dry uncovered in a cool place for 24–48 hours before icing.
    Add the royal icing.
    1. Spread the royal icing over the top and sides of the cake.
    2. For a traditional finish, use the back of a spoon or small spatula to create uneven snowy peaks rather than making the icing perfectly smooth.
    3. Allow the icing to set before covering or storing the cake.

    Notes

    Brit & Skillet Tip: Christmas cake is one of those rare recipes where making it early is an advantage. Give the cake time to rest and mature rather than worrying about baking it immediately before Christmas — the flavor becomes richer and more rounded as it sits.
    Mixed spice: British mixed spice is similar to pumpkin pie spice but isn't identical. If you don't have it, use 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground allspice and 1/4 tsp ground ginger in place of the 1 teaspoon mixed spice.
    Currants: These are dried Zante currants, the small dried grape used in British baking — not fresh blackcurrants.
    Sultanas: Golden raisins are the easiest American substitute.
    Glacé cherries: Candied cherries can be used in the U.S. Avoid strongly artificial neon-colored cherries if you'd prefer a more traditional-looking cake.
    Molasses: Regular unsulphured molasses is a practical U.S. substitute for British black treacle. Don't use blackstrap molasses, which is considerably more bitter.
    Don't rush the bake: Christmas cake needs a long, low bake because of the enormous amount of fruit in the batter. A hotter oven can leave you with burnt edges and an undercooked center.
    Alcohol-free version: Orange or apple juice can replace the brandy used for soaking. Do not repeatedly “feed” an alcohol-free cake with juice because that changes its storage safety. Make an alcohol-free cake closer to Christmas, refrigerate it once completely cool, and use it within a shorter period.
    Storage: An alcohol-fed cake can be matured for several weeks when properly wrapped and kept in a cool, dry place. Once cut, keep the cake well covered. If you've made the alcohol-free version, refrigerate it.