Name: Traditional Christmas Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 270 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 700g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas and currants); 100g glacé cherries, halved; 75g mixed candied peel; 100ml brandy, plus 1–2 tbsp per feed if maturing; Finely grated zest of 1 orange; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 225g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing; 200g dark soft brown sugar; 4 large eggs, at room temperature; 225g plain flour; 50g ground almonds; 1 tsp mixed spice; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tbsp black treacle; 75g chopped almonds (optional); 2–3 tbsp apricot jam; 500g ready-made marzipan; 500g ready-to-roll white fondant icing; Icing sugar, for rolling

Method

30 mins prep240 mins cook270 mins total

Put the dried fruit, cherries and candied peel in a large bowl with the brandy and both citrus zests. Mix, cover and soak for 8–12 hours, giving it another stir if convenient.
Heat the oven to 140°C conventional / 120°C fan / Gas 1. Grease a deep 20cm round tin, at least 7.5cm deep. Double-line the base and sides with baking parchment, leaving the side lining about 5cm above the rim.
Beat the softened butter and brown sugar together for 3–4 minutes, then beat in the treacle. Add the eggs individually, beating after each addition. If the mixture splits, beat in a spoonful of the measured flour.
Combine the remaining flour, ground almonds, mixed spice and cinnamon. Fold into the butter mixture just until the flour disappears, then fold in the soaked fruit and all its remaining liquid. Stir in the chopped almonds if using.
Transfer the thick mixture to the tin and press it into the corners. Smooth the top, leaving a shallow hollow in the middle.
Bake in the lower half of the oven for 3½–4½ hours. Check after 3½ hours; a skewer pushed into the centre should have no uncooked cake mixture on it, although fruit may leave a moist trace. Cover loosely with foil if the top darkens before the centre is cooked.
Let the cake become completely cold in its tin, ideally overnight. Lift it out and remove the baking parchment.
For a brandy-fed cake, prick the top with a skewer and spoon over 1–2 tbsp brandy. Once absorbed, wrap in fresh parchment and then foil, and put in an airtight tin in a cool, dark place.
If maturing for several weeks, repeat the 1–2 tbsp brandy feed every 1–2 weeks. Keep the cake moist rather than wet, and stop feeding a week before adding decoration.
For optional decoration, gently warm the apricot jam and sieve out any lumps. Brush a thin coating over the cake. Roll the marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, then cover the top and sides, smooth and trim.
Leave the marzipan to dry for 24–48 hours in a cool, dry spot. Lightly brush with cooled boiled water, roll out the fondant and cover the cake, smoothing and trimming the edges. Slice thinly to serve.

Notes

Timing: Allow 30 minutes of hands-on preparation and 3½–4½ hours in the oven, plus an overnight fruit soak and complete cooling. The listed cooking time is a 4-hour guide; use the skewer test. Optional icing and maturation take additional time.

Make ahead: For a matured cake, bake 4–8 weeks before serving. Keep the undecorated, brandy-fed cake wrapped in parchment and foil in an airtight tin in a cool, dry, dark place, checking it regularly. Discard it if mould appears.

Alcohol-free option: Replace the soaking brandy with 100ml orange juice and omit all feeds. For a long make-ahead period, freeze the completely cooled cake and thaw thoroughly before decorating; do not repeatedly feed it with juice for room-temperature storage.

Serving and storage: Cut small slices with a sharp knife. A little mature Cheddar is an optional accompaniment. Keep the decorated cake in a cake box or airtight container somewhere cool and dry.

Allergens: Contains wheat, eggs, milk and almonds. Check labels on ready-made marzipan and icing.

Mum’s rule: No banging or slamming doors while the Christmas cake is baking! Treat the cake gently, keep the oven door closed until it’s time to check, and close it carefully afterwards.