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Easy Peasy Traditional Christmas Cake
5 from 16 votes

Easy Peasy Traditional Christmas Cake

This traditional Christmas cake is a rich fruitcake made with equal parts softened butter, sugar, dried fruits like sultanas, raisins, currants, and glace cherries, plus ground almonds and mixed peel. Spices such as cinnamon, mixed spice, and nutmeg add warmth. The mixture is bound with eggs, golden syrup, and sherry or apple juice for moisture, then baked slowly for a dense, moist cake rich in classic festive flavors and textures.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs
Servings: 30 slices
Calories: 241 kcal
Course: Dessert, Snacks, Baked Goods
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Cake
  • 250 g butter softened
  • 250 g light soft brown sugar
  • 250 g sultanas
  • 250 g raisins seedless
  • 250 g currants
  • 60 g ground almonds
  • 125 g mixed peel diced
  • 125 g glace cherry
  • 3 egg large
  • 50 ml sherry (or apple juice if you want to make this alcohol free)
  • 1 golden syrup very heaped tablespoon
  • 250 g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Icing (optional)
  • marmalade or sieved apricot jam
  • marzipan ready-rolled
  • white icing ready-rolled
  • Decorations (optional)
Equipment
  • A large mixing bowl
  • Two smaller mixing bowls and a little bowl for the cherries
  • A jug
  • A 20cm / 8 inch cake tin
  • Greaseproof paper
  • brown paper
  • baking sheet
  • A skewer
  • A cooling wire

Instructions

Preparation
    Cup of Yum
  1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale.
  2. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, ground almonds and spices.
  3. Wash the sultanas, raisins and currants and place in a third bowl together with the chopped mixed peel.
  4. Rinse and dry the cherries. Place in a small bowl and dust with a little flour (to stop them sinking in the cake).
  5. In a jug, mix the eggs, golden syrup and sherry (or apple juice).
  6. Line the base and sides of a 20cm / 8inch cake tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper, having greased the tin first. Make sure the paper which lines the sides stands 7cm above the rim of the tin.
  7. To ensure the cake does not have a hard base, line a baking sheet with 4 layers of thick brown paper.
  8. Preheat your oven to 165C / 145C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.
Assembly
  1. Add a handful (or large spoonful) of flour to the creamed butter and sugar. Then add a small amount of the egg mixture and a handful of the fruit mixture and work together well, ideally with your hands (but you could do it with a wooden spoon if you don’t fancy the idea of getting your hands messy).
  2. Repeat this process until all the ingredients are well mixed, then finally add the cherries and mix again.
  3. Put the mixture in the prepared tin and flatten down evenly.
Baking
  1. Place the cake tin on the prepared baking sheet and put into your preheated oven for 1 hour.
  2. Reduce the heat to 150C / 130 fan / gas mark 2 / 300F and cook for a second hour.
  3. Cover with a little hat of greaseproof paper and bake for a third hour.
  4. Remove from the oven and check it is cooked properly by inserting a skewer – the skewer should be clean when removed.
After Baking
  1. Trim the greaseproof paper back to the level of the tin’s rim and place on a cooling wire upside down still in its tin.
  2. Leave until completely cold (ideally the next day).
  3. Slide the cake out, wrap securely with foil and store in a cake tin until Christmas.
Icing (optional)
  1. Cover the entire cake in warmed shredless marmalade (or sieved apricot jam).
  2. Place the ready-rolled marzipan onto the cake and gently smooth down the sides. Trim off any excess. Lightly cover and leave for 1-2 days, ideally.
  3. Lightly brush the marzipan with water and place the ready-rolled icing on top of the cake. Gently smooth down the sides and trim off any excess.
  4. Decorate if desired.

Notes

  • The cake is suitable for freezing to keep it fresh for extended periods.
  • Using a double lined greaseproof paper in the tin with brown paper on the baking sheet prevents hard bases and overbrowning.
  • Coating cherries lightly in flour before folding into the batter keeps them suspended throughout the cake.
  • Slow baking at 165C / 325F ensures even cooking of the dense fruit-laden cake without drying.
  • Optional icing and decoration can be added after cooling to enhance presentation for Christmas.

Nutrition Information

Calories 241kcal (12%) Carbohydrates 40g (13%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Cholesterol 34mg (11%) Sodium 76mg (3%) Potassium 236mg (5%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 24g (48%) Vitamin A 240IU (5%) Vitamin C 1.1mg (1%) Calcium 33mg (3%) Iron 0.9mg (5%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 30 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 241

% Daily Value*

Calories 241kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 40g 13%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 34mg 11%
Sodium 76mg 3%
Potassium 236mg 5%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 24g 48%
Vitamin A 240IU 5%
Vitamin C 1.1mg 1%
Calcium 33mg 3%
Iron 0.9mg 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.