The first glimpse of Christmas looming, was the smell of Chritmas cakes filling the house. My mum would make Christmas cakes over a period of weeks and would make them for multiple members of the family. As I have grown older and started a family of my own, I have taken the batton and now I make these cakes for the members in my family.
From a recipe passed down from my nan to my mum this a recipe that has been in the family for generations. My nan was an outstanding cook. If you think of everything traditional or seemingly old fashioned about cooking, my nan was the poster girl. Everything was made from scratch and in way that even now many years later and with lots of trial and error, I can not replicate.
In this post your going to learn all of the step to make the most moist, rich and boozey, Christmas cake from soaking the fruit to covering to marzipan and icing.
Ingredients:
- 225g Plain Flour
- 1tsp Mixed Spice
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Coca Powder
- 175g Butter ( In my opinon real butter is better than the baking stuff and you will need extra for lining your baking tins)
- 175g Brown sugar ( I prefer light brown sugar)
- 1tsp Black Treacle
- 1tsp Finely Grated Orange and Lime Zest
- 550g Mixed Fruit
- 100g Mixed Peel
- 50g Glacé Cherries ( Halfed or Whole)
- 1tbsp Milk
- 35cl Rum, Brandy or Whisky (The cheap stuff is just as good as the expensive stuff)
- 4 eggs
- 500g Ready to Roll Marzipan
- 500g Ready to Roll Icing or Royal Icing
- Icing sugar
- Jam
Optional:
- Walnuts or any nuts or your choice
- Additional alcohol for feeding.
This recie will make one large 6inch cake or 2 small 3inch cakes.
Utensils
- Standing mixer or hand mixer- This isnt essential but will make the process ALOT easier.
- 2-3 good size mixing bowls.
- Scales
- Sharp knife
- Butter knife
- 1x 8 inch baking tin/ 4 inch baking tins
- Greaseproof paper
- Cling film
Method:
Fruit Prep!
- Place mixed fruit, mixed peel, glacé cherry and nuts (should you choose to add them), into a large bowl and cover with your alcohol of choice. For best result, wrap the bowl well with cling film and leave for a month, taking the time to shake regularly.
Making the Batter
- Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 2/150°C/ 130°C on a fan oven and line your baking tins with greaseproof paper.
- Drain any leftover alcohol into a container and keep to one side.
- In seperate bowl cream together sugar, butter, treacle, the zest of the orange and lime. Combine until fluffy and all of the batter has a consistant light brown colour throughout.
- In another bowl sift together the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and coca powder.
- Beat eggs into your wet mixture adding 2 tbsp of your dry mixture each time.
- Slowly mix in the rest of your dry mixture.
- In a large bowl combine your batter and your mixed fruit. If the mixture is a little bit to thick to stir add in your milk.
- Fill your cake tins and make sure to leave about 5 cm gap between the top of the cake mixture and the top of the cake tin. This will make removing the cakes from the tins, alot easier.
- Place in the middle of your oven and bake for 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 hours depending on the size of your cake. ( The kinfe should come out clean once its finished baking)
- Once finished baking, place on a rack and allow to cool completely before wrapping well in cling film
Leave to rest for at least 24 hours. Should you wish to do so you can “feed” the sponge with any leftover alcohol. just make sure you use a toothpick or a skewer to poke some holes into the sponge and you feed them little and often.
Marzipan
- Using a butter knife spread a layer of jam over the surface of your cake, making sure to get the edges and the sides. You want a thick enough layer that your marzipan will stick to the cake but slip off when you go to put the icing on.
- Using icing sugar make sure your surface is floured well.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out your marzipan until is about 2 cm thick. Again you want a thick enough layer that you can taste it but it doesn’t take over the icing.
- Use your rolling pin to lay your marzipan over the cake.
- Using the palm of your hand, smooth the marzipan out and all over the sides.
- Using a sharp knife trim any extra marzipan from the bottom of the cake.
- Optional step: You can wrap your cakes and leave them to sit for a while or you can continue on to the next step.
Icing
- Using a butter knife spread a layer of jam over the surface of the marziapn, making sure to get the edges and the sides. You want a thick enough layer that your icing will stick to the cake but slip off.
- Using icing sugar make sure your surface is floured well.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out your icing until is about 2 cm thick. Again you want a thick enough layer that you can taste it but it doesn’t take over the icing.
- Use your rolling pin to lay your over the icing over the cake.
- Using the palm of your hand, smooth the icing out and all over the sides.
- Using a sharp knife trim any extra icing from the bottom of the cake.
You could use the left over icing to make decorations for the cake or you can leave them as they are. Make sure to wrap each cake well in clingfilm to make sure the cake doesn’t dry out.
Serving
In my opinion this cake should be served in a thick wedge and with a glass of alochol of your choice. Its the perfect way to end a long Christmas evening.
Variations
If your not a fan of rolled icing, that you can use royal icing. It has been a long time since I have used royal icing, but i thick the thicker the better. Make sure to follow the instructions on the box for how to prepare the icing.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you make this cake please tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations.
If you would like a more visual representation of how to make this recipe, why not watch my youtube video down below.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram and Tiktok!
Check out some of my other posts for some more Christmas magic!
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