How To Make The Perfect Christmas Cake
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 15 mins
A much lighter, moister, more cake-y version of the traditional English Christmas cake that is still packed with juicy fruit, almonds and hazelnuts, and doused with fresh orange juice.
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
British
Keyword:
Christmas, English, Fruit Cake
Servings: 24 (2 cakes)
Ingredients
- 1 kg fruit cake mix
- 750 ml water
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of almonds & hazelnuts
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 4 eggs
- 4 cups cake flour
- Juice of 1/2 an Orange
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 160°C and grease two round cake tins 20cm in diameter & 4cm deep.
-
Place the water in a large saucepan with the sugar and butter and bring to the boil. Boil until the butter has melted then add the fruit cake mix and boil for another 15 minutes until the fruit has plumped up. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
-
While the fruit is boiling, chop up the almonds and hazelnuts into small pieces and set aside for later.
-
Once the fruit mixture has cooled, add the bicarb of soda, spices, nuts and eggs and stir in.
-
Sieve the flour and fold it into the mixture with a metal spoon.
-
Divide the mixture evenly between the two cake tins and make sure it is level, the best way to do this is with your hands.
-
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the cakes bounce back when you touch them.
-
Once the cakes have cooled down, slowly pour the orange juice evenly over each cake and let it seep in. This will keep the cakes extra moist.
Recipe Notes
This cake freezes brilliantly so you can make it ahead of time. You should be able to keep this cake at room temperature for about a week or so. If the weather is very hot I would suggest keeping the cake in the fridge.
