Christmas Cake is a traditional fruit cake with a rich, velvety texture that’s so full flavoured and moist it can be eaten plain. But no one turns away a slosh of custard! Usually Christmas Cakes need to be started the day before, with overnight soaking of dried fruit. But not mine!
For gifting, make Mini Christmas Cakes. They look adorable when wrapped!
Christmas Cake
I’m fussy about Christmas Cake because (speaking frankly) there are too many not-so-great-ones out there. Here’s how I like / don’t like my Christmas Cake:
With or without alcohol – cake has to be just as good with or without booze (I mostly make it without – so it can be widely shared!);
Not too much peel or citrus flavour – I’m just not a fan of biting into giant chunks of orange rind. I just like a subtle hint of citrus flavour;
Soft and velvety is how I like the texture to be when you slice through it – it’s how “good fruit cakes” should be. As opposed to “crumbly” with a muffin-like texture. I make muffins all year round, I don’t want my Christmas Cake like that!
Moist and fudgy – but still distinctly cake like, not brownie-like. Some cakes I tried to compare leading up to sharing this recipe were just far too dry.
Quite dense but NOT brick like! Some Christmas Cake recipes are WAY too dense, and you feel like you’re cutting into a block of firm fudge. No thank you!
Decorating is optional!! The cake should be tasty enough and moist enough to eat plain, without any frosting / fondant or custard.
So if that sounds good to you, then I think you’re really going to love this Christmas Cake!
This fruit cake uses a highly effective FAST fruit soaking method by heating in the microwave then soaking for just 1 hour. Works 100% perfectly!
What goes in Christmas Cake
You need a LOT of dried fruit and very little cake batter ingredients!!
1. Soaked Dried Fruit
Here’s what you need for the Soaked Dried Fruit. The fruit is soaked in either apple juice OR a combination of apple juice and brandy (for those who like boozy Christmas Cake).
Use any dried fruit you want – as long as it weighs 855g / 30 oz in total. You could even use a store bought mix of pre chopped dried fruit – but just know that chopping your own will yield a more moist cake (pre chopped is not as moist), but having said that, this cake is ULTRA moist so has the flex to use pre chopped!
Mixed peel is a store bought mix of dried, crystallised (ie sugared) lemon and orange peel. Usually it comes pre chopped – I like to chop it a bit finer. I like less citrus peel than some recipes because I’m too scarred by all those times I bit into a huge piece of orange peel. Just not to my taste! Don’t use FRESH orange and lemon peel, it will be too strong and too bitter. I do not know how much fresh peel to substitute this for.
Juice and/or booze – for a traditional boozy Christmas Cake, just switch 1/3 of the apple juice with brandy. Can also sub apple juice with orange juice if you want a stronger��citrus flavour.
2. Christmas Cake Batter
And here’s what you need for the cake batter part. The cake has very little baking powder because it’s quite a dense cake. But it’s still got a distinct “cake” texture – unlike some Christmas Cakes that are so dense, you’d swear you were eating a block of fudge!
Dark brown sugar – makes the cake a rich dark brown colour. Can sub with normal brown sugar – will make cake lighter (also looks nice as fruit stands out!)
Molasses / golden syrup – adds to the richness of flavour and colour of cake. Either is fine – I interchange year on year;
Walnuts – sub with any nuts of choice, or leave it out completely;
Oil AND butter – oil is what gives this cake a superb moistness. Butter is for flavour!
How to make Christmas Cake
And here’s how the making part goes down.
The key step that makes this so much faster to make than other fruit cakes is the fruit soaking step. Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight.
I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. So much faster – and just as effective!
Other than that, there’s nothing unusual about how this fruit cake is made.
Because it’s a dense cake, it needs to be baked long and slow in order to cook it all the way through without drying out the edges and surface (without fussing with water baths). I bake it for 2 1/2 hours covered with foil, then another 30 to 45 minutes without foil to brown the surface (check with skewer to know when it’s cooked).
Christmas Cake Decoration ideas
A plain Christmas Cake does look like a big, dark brown block so it is nice to decorate it! Here are some ideas – but remember, it’s purely decorative. This fruit cake is full flavoured and very moist so unlike other cakes, you don’t need a frosting to make it ultra delish to eat!
Simple – just dust with icing sugar, or pile on cherries or other fruit and dust with icing sugar;
Christmas TREE decorations – yes, really. Inedible decorations is FINE!!
Drippy white glaze – use the recipe in this Lemon Cake with Drippy Glaze but skip the lemon in the glaze. Flip cake upside down for a perfectly level surface;
Traditional white fondant (pictured above) – I know some people really don’t like fondant. Too many bad wedding cake experiences!! But nowadays, store bought fondant is actually much nicer than it was in the past. It just tastes like a softish sheet of plain sweet frosting. See below the recipe card for a step by step visual of how to apply the white fondant on your Christmas Cake.
The cake in the photos is the 2nd time in my life I’ve used fondant. So if I can do it, you can do it too!
How to serve Christmas Cake
This Christmas Fruit Cake is rich and moist, with a ton of flavour from the fruit so it’s absolutely delish eaten plain. No frosting, no fondant – nothing needed – and it’s certainly how I pick away at the leftovers for weeks and weeks!
But if you really want to make it special, serve it with custard. Homemade custard, if you can. But if you opt for store bought, do my little pimping up trick – just stir in some vanilla bean paste. The little black specks gives it a little “extra special” look and it does wonders to freshen up the flavour too!
And lastly, you’ll be very happy to know this keeps for weeks and weeks! 3 months in the fridge, a year in the freezer.
Will yours last that long??! – Nagi x
PS How did I get all the way down to here without telling you where all my Christmas recipes live?? Right here -> Christmas Recipes
Watch how to make it
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Christmas Cake – EASY moist fruit cake
Ingredients
Fast soaked fruit (Note 1):
- 300g / 10 oz raisins
- 150g / 5 oz diced dried apricots , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 75g / 2.5 oz mixed peel , diced 5mm / 1/5
- 150g / 5 oz glace cherries , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
- 180g / 6 oz dates , diced 5mm / 1/5"
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice, OR 1/3 brandy + 2/3 juice (Note 2)
Cake:
- 115g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , softened (1 US stick)
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar , packed (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, grapeseed)
- 3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup (Note 4)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 2/3 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 3/4 cup walnuts , chopped (optional)
For serving (optional)
- 500ml / 1 pint pouring custard , homemade or store bought (Note 5)
White Christmas Cake decoration, as pictured (optional)
- 250g / 8 oz "ready to roll" marzipan
- 250g / 8 oz "ready to roll" white fondant
- Cherries dusted with icing sugar
Other Decorating Options (optional)
- Cherries or other fruit dusted with icing sugar (on plain cake, looks very pretty!)
- Drippy white glaze (directions below)
Instructions
Fast Soaked Fruit:
- Place dried fruit and juice/brandy in a large microwavable container. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes on high or until hot.
- Stir to coat all fruit in liquid. Cover then set aside for 1 hour (to plump up/soak and cool).
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 21 – 22 cm / 8 – 9" round cake pan with baking paper (parchment paper) (7 cm / 2.75" tall).
- Using an electric beater, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute on speed 5).
- Add oil and molasses, beat until combined.
- Add salt, spices and baking powder – beat until incorporated.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated
- Stir in the flour.
- When mostly incorporated, stir in the fruit mix (including all the extra liquid in bowl) and walnuts (if using).
- Pour into cake pan, cover with foil and bake for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the foil then bake for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into middle comes out clean with no batter on it (check first at 30 minutes).
- Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.
- Cake is moist and so full flavoured, it can be eaten plain. But see below for decorating and serving ideas (traditionally served with pouring custard).
- Cutting: Either cut into thin wedges, or cut cake into thin strips (2cm / 0.75" or so), then cut those strips into serving size pieces.
Christmas Cake Decorating options:
- Traditional White Christmas Cake (pictured in post) – Marzipan and fondant, see Decorating Note.
- Simple – pile top with fresh cherries or other fruit, dust with icing sugar (powdered sugar). Wrap a ribbon around the cake for extra touch!
- Drippy white glaze – use the glaze in this Lemon Cake recipe, but leave out the lemon juice (ie make a plain sweet white glaze). Flip cake upside down for flat surface then glaze per that recipe.
- Serving – serve with custard for a traditional experience! Either homemade custard or store bought pouring custard (jazz it up by mixing in vanilla seed paste!).
Recipe Notes:
- Best to use a cake turntable or similar (I used a small lazy susan!)
- Marzipan layer mainly for creating perfect smooth surface for fondant layer.
- Dust work surface with icing sugar. Shape marzipan into a disc then roll out so it’s large enough to cover cake and sides (250g/8oz marzipan covers this cake perfectly with some excess).
- Roll marzipan onto rolling pin, then unroll it over the cake.
- Drape over cake, stretching and pressing to cover sides with as few pleats as possible. Use wet table eating knife to smooth pleats, doesn’t need to look perfect – this is Layer 1 to smooth cake, plus also for the subtle almond flavour.
- Use something with a clean edge but not as sharp as a knife (I used a cake server).
- Press on a 45 degree angle on side of cake about 2.5 cm / 1″ apart all around the cake, then 45 degrees in the opposite direction to create “diamond”.
- Dip the blunt end of a wooden skewer into water, then press a light indent into fondant on intersection of diamond.
- Then press in a silver ball (water makes it stick). Repeat all around.
- Top with cherries, dusting with icing sugar, give it a grand spin to admire your work and serve!
Nutrition Information:
Originally published December 2019. Republished December 2020 – no change to recipe, just tidied up some of the writing!
How to ice Christmas Cake with fondant
The pictured cake in this post is decorated with a layer of marzipan (almond flavoured frosting) then topped with white fondant. This combination of marzipan + fondant is a traditional way to decorate Christmas Cake. Marzipan is for flavour and also to create a smooth surface for the fondant.
A visual of the steps is included in the recipe video above the recipe card, and below in photos.
What you need
250g / 8oz of each “ready to roll” marzipan and white fondant, sold in the baking aisle of grocery stores.
How to apply marzipan and fondant to Christmas Cake
Use a cake turn table, if you have one. I used a lazy susan!
Dust work surface with icing sugar (powdered sugar) and shape marzipan into a disc;
Roll marzipan out so it’s large enough to cover the sides of the cake;
Roll the marzipan lightly around the rolling pin (best way to handle because marzipan is prone to tearing, can’t pick it up);
Then unroll it over the cake;
Gently press down around the sides, making it as smooth as possible and stretching / adjusting as needed to avoid “pleats”. Don’t get too hung up about perfection here – this layer is to create a smooth surface for the fondant layer;
Trim off excess using a knife;
Roll out fondant the same way as the marzipan, including rolling it around the rolling pin to transfer to the cake;
Unroll over the cake, then gently press down the side of the cake, stretching gently as needed to make it fit with no pleats.
TIP: If you have cracks / crevices / tears, just wet a table knife then use it to “smear” the fondant to seal the cracks. Use small pinches of surplus fondant if needed.
How to decorate side of cake
Here’s how I decorated the side of the cake:
Use something with a clean edge but not as sharp as a knife (I used a cake server).
Press on a 45 degree angle on side of cake about 2.5 cm / 1″ apart all around the cake;
Then 45 degrees in the opposite direction to create “diamond”;
Dip the blunt end of a wooden skewer into water, then press a light indent into fondant on intersection of diamond. Then press in a silver ball (water makes it stick). Repeat all around; and
Top with cherries, dusting with icing sugar, give it a grand spin to admire your work and serve!
Life of Dozer
Too much Christmas cheer – and not enough cake, according to him! No Christmas Cake for Dozer. Dried fruit is bad for dogs!
Sarah says
It says 8-9” tin, I have both so which is best 8 or 9?
Nagi says
Hi Sarah – both are fine to use, the difference isn’t noticeable. N x
Maire says
Hi Nagi, I plan on making this recipe this evening for my self and a couple for gifts. I intend on making one for my grandmother who likes less fruit in her christmas cake, would this recipe work if i reduce the amount of fruit and increased the amount of cake batter.
Nagi says
Hi Maire, to be honest I haven’t tried as this one is all about the fruit! N x
Louisa Taylor says
Hi, I’m super excited to be making my 1st ever Christmas cake. My 2 year old also helped but in having this extra help I misread the instructions 😳. I baked for 3hrs the removed tinfoil fur last 15mim. Safe to say it a wobbly mess, I left tinfoil off and returned to oven still at 140° ……will this turn out ok? Help lol xxxx
Joann says
Can I skip the mixed peel and use dried cherries instead of glace? Having difficulty finding them where I live. Thanks!
Nagi says
Hi Joann, I mention this in the recipe notes, you can use any mix of dried fruit as long as it adds up to the same weight – you’ll love it! N x
Alan Howe says
Feel rare as a bloke who makes cupcakes,desserts and cheesecakes etc, but, having made Christmas cakes before that have turned out ok’ish, on Sunday morning i found your recipe, thought, hmmm? So yesterday i was out, got the ingredients i didn’t have, and substituted only two items, as in tinned prunes instead of dates (yuk!!!) and maraschino cocktail cherries in place of glace? (deffo works flavour wise!) Anyway, baked in fan oven as instructed, and first time ever, NO fruit burn, dry crusty edges, no overbaked smell….moist from centre to the edge!!! Amazing smell too…next will be the marzipan and fondant and then the all important decoration! Gonna be raving about this recipe to everyone, year after year!
Wendy Taylor says
Fantastic results, not tried it yet ! . Therefore I have had to make another one as my partner desperate for a taste .
So 8.15 + pm tonight his dream will be answered 😁😁😁
I will be adding marzipan to the first one and Royal icing too .
I doubt the one in the oven won’t be around long enough for me to attempt the end result.
Hope it tastes as good as it looks
Ros says
Gathered all the ingredients together and had a mental block – thought I had syrup but didn’t. Substituted with honey. Hoping like mad it turns out ok and no overwhelming honey flavour!
Other than that (and a blister on my finger from holding the cutting knife!), it’s smelling and looking great in the oven.
Jenny says
I made this cake a couple of weeks ago, smelt amazing baking in the oven! I think my fruit may have sunk as the top is very smooth? Also keeping in an airtight tin but just send it should be in the fridge, panic! Has anyone else done this & was it ok? Also (sorry!) how long before Christmas should I marzipan it?? I was going to use royal icing too if anyone has experience to share of doing that. Thank you so much!
Val Mead says
Never made a Christmas cake before. This is a trial run. I actually used a bag of brandy soaked mixed fruit from my local lidl store and just added and extra 55g of dried cranberries.
WOW.. is all I can say. I will definitely be using this recipe and no other. I love the flavour of the molasses and dark muscovada sugar.
Thank
anne preston says
Could I use sherry instead of brandy please?
Nagi says
Yes 100% Anne! N x
Samina says
Hi Nagi, I’m planning on making this for Christmas. If I make it with no alcohol how long will it keep for and when would you make it?
Nagi says
Hi Samina, you can always freeze this cake and thaw when ready to eat 🙂 N x
Susie Stenmark says
Hi Nagi, love your recipe – I prefer my Christmas cakes just like you! I plan to make it this week, but have one question: when you say the cake is velvety in texture, it’s not like a Christmas pudding is it?
Thanks for your response.
Nagi says
Hi Susie, yes it is dense like a pudding – almost halfway between a pudding and cake 🙂 N x
Cheryl White says
Hi Nagi. I’m planning on making this and note your recipe has a scale feature providing ingredient list for the number of serves. What would the cake tin sizes be if you scale up the recipe
Nagi says
Hi Cheryl, depends on how many you’re scaling up. How many people are you wanting to serve? N x
Cheryl White says
Hi Nagi.
I made the cake yesterday, scaled up to 40 serves and it made 2 cakes, a 9”x9” x 2.75” and a 7”x7 x2.75”
Thank you for your recipe. The cake is a beautiful texture, tastes great and will be my go to recipe in future.
Cheryl White says
Hi Nagi.
Thank you for your response. I made the cake yesterday, scaled up to 40 serves and it made 2 cakes, a 9”x9” x 2.75” and a 7”x7 x2.75”
Thank you for your recipe. The cake is a beautiful texture, tastes great and will be my go to recipe in future.
Anon says
Thank you Nagi for such a detailed and excellent recipe. The cake turned out superb. I made half the recipe and used a little less sugar like 140 gms for 1/2 recipe. This is the best Christmas cake recipe I’ve come across. Thank you! 🙂
Tamara says
Hi Nagi, I am planning on making this for the festive season. I see some Christmas cake recipes recommend drizzling with alcohol fortnightly etc. How do you feel this would work with your recipe? Thank you.
Nagi says
Hi Tamara, I honestly haven’t tried with this recipe! N x
Tamara says
No worries, thank you!
Louisa says
I had the same question! I will be feeding the cake with brandy since this is the original process – the purpose of baking Christmas cake in November is exactly to do that. Cannot wait to try it 🙂 – thank you for the recipe Nagi, super easy!
Laura Gatenby says
So i have just tried this recipe…in the oven whilst i type! Fingers crossed, fisrt time i have ever made one x
Nagi says
Keep me updated Laura, I hope you love it! N x
Charlotte Tang says
Hi Nagi, can l use whole-wheat flour instead of plain flour for this fruit cake?
Nagi says
Hi Charlotte, I haven’t tried sorry – I feel like it would change the flavour and texture and I’d need to test it – N x
Charlotte Tang says
Thanks for your prompt response.
Kate Moscrop says
Hi, we have just made this cake for Christmas! Is it ok, to feed as we have 7 weeks until Christmas?
Naa says
Hi Nagi. My batter turned out much thicker than yours. Will it still turn out OK?
Nagi says
Hi Naa, did you measure everything as per the recipe? How did it turn out? N x
Naa says
It turned out really really lovely. I halved the recipe and out of pure laziness, soaked the fruits much much longer than I should’ve. Probably explains why there was no extra liquid to loosen up the batter. Baked it in a loaf pan and it was cooked in exactly 1 hour. The extra 15 minutes I gave it wasn’t necessary at all but it still came out lovely and soft. Thank you.
John says
Hi, I have made the xmas cake and it does look good 👍. Mine hasn’t risen very much so I am wondering what have I done wrong.
Nagi says
Hi John – Christmas cakes don’t have a lot of rise in them, they are supposed to be dense due to all the fruit in them 🙂 N x
John Shields says
Thank you, I have found the cake is very moist so I will be making more for Xmas. X
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it John! N x