A rich, traditional British Christmas cake — buttery sponge packed with sherry-soaked dried fruit, nuts and warm spices. Bake ahead and decorate for the festivities.
A proper Christmas cake is a labour of love — a rich, deeply spiced fruit cake laced with sherry and packed with dried fruit, peel and nuts. Made ahead and lovingly fed, it matures into the centrepiece of the festive table, ready to ice and decorate.
Prep 30 min
Cook 165 min
Total 195 min
Medium
- 200g Butter
- 200g Muscovado Sugar
- 200g Plain Flour
- 4 Beaten Eggs
- 50g Ground Almonds
- 100ml Sherry
- 85g Candied Peel
- 85g Glace Cherry
- 250g Raisins
- 250g Currants
- 100g Pecan Nuts
- Grated zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 ½ tbsp Mixed Spice
- 1 ½ tbsp Rose Water
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
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ChristmasVideo
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and line the base and sides of a 20cm round, 7.5cm deep cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 1–2 minutes until very creamy and pale, scraping down the bowl halfway. Stir in a spoonful of the flour, then add the beaten egg and the rest of the flour alternately, a quarter at a time, beating well each time. Stir in the almonds.
- Mix in the sherry (the mixture will look curdled), then add the peel, cherries, raisins, currants, nuts, lemon zest, spice, rosewater and vanilla, and beat to mix, then stir in the baking powder.
- Spoon into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 minutes, then lower to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and bake for a further 2–2¼ hours, until a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out and peel off the lining. Once completely cold, wrap well in cling film and foil to store until ready to decorate — it keeps for several months.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Beat the butter and sugar really well, and add the eggs gradually to stop the mixture curdling.
- A dip in the centre of the batter helps the cake bake level rather than domed.
- Bake low and slow, covering the top with foil if it browns too quickly.
- Once cool, wrap well and 'feed' with a little sherry now and then to keep it moist and develop flavour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Weeks or even months — that's the point; a well-wrapped, fed cake matures beautifully over time.
Spooning a little sherry or brandy over the cake periodically as it stores, keeping it moist and deepening the flavour.
Yes — soak the fruit in orange juice or cold tea instead, and feed it with juice; it won't keep quite as long.
