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Christmas cake is a rich fruit cake covered with a layer of marzipan and icing. Often the cake is adorned with festive Christmas-themed decorations or bright ribbon. These heavy fruit ladened cakes are made well in advance of Christmas and “fed” brandy, rum, or sherry each week before being iced.

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups currants

• 1 ½ cups sultanas (golden raisins)

• 1 ½ cups raisins

• ¾ cup mixed candied peel, finely chopped

• 1 cup glace (candied) cherries, halved

• 1 cup of finely chopped flaked Almonds

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• Pinch salt

• ½ teaspoon mixed spice

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• ¼ cup butter, slightly softened

• 1 1/3 cups soft brown sugar

• ½ lemon or 1 orange zested

• 6 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 3 tablespoons brandy, plus extra for feeding

Method

1. Heat the oven to 300 F.

2. Line a deep 9-inch cake pan with parchment or greaseproof paper, preferably wider that the cake pan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the currants, sultanas, raisins, candied peel, almonds, and cherries with the flour, salt, and spices. Set aside.

4. In another large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon zest. Add the beaten egg to the butter mixture a little bit at a time, beating well after each addition to avoid curdling. If it does, add a tablespoon of flour and mix.

5. Slowly fold in the flour and fruit into the egg and butter mixture. Add the brandy.

6. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin, making sure there are no air pockets. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon and make a slight dip in the center—this will rise during baking to create a smooth surface for icing the cake.

7. Place the tin on a tray low in the oven.

8. If the cake is browning too rapidly, cover the tin with a double layer of parchment paper after 2 1/2 hours.

9. Check the cake after 4 hours. Insert a skewer or fine knife into the center of the cake; it should be clean when you pull it out. If the dough sticks when you pull it, return the cake to the oven for a little longer.

10. Cool the cake still in the pan, on a wire rack for an hour, then remove it from the pan to cool completely. Then, prick the surface of the cake with a toothpick or skewer and slowly pour over 2 to 3 tablespoons brandy. Repeat this feeding every week up until Christmas.

11. Store the cake wrapped in greaseproof or parchment paper in an airtight tin, until ready to either serve as is or cover with marzipan and icing.

Tips

• Tie a double band of brown or newspaper paper around the outside. This acts as an insulator and helps prevent the cake from burning on the outside.