Irish Christmas Cake
User Reviews
4.7
Irish Christmas Cake
Description
This Irish Christmas Cake uses a mixture of soaked raisins, candied peel, and citrus zest steeped overnight in Irish whiskey, creating plump, flavorful fruit. The dry ingredients include flour and warm spices such as mixed spice and nutmeg, contributing to a fragrant profile. Creamed butter and sugar form a fluffy base to incorporate eggs progressively, yielding a rich batter.
Quartered glacé cherries tossed in flour prevent sinking during baking. Chopped almonds add texture throughout. Baking at a low temperature of 280°F gives the cake a moist, dense quality typical of traditional Christmas fruit cakes.
The cake can be baked in one 10-inch pan or two smaller loaf pans with adjusted time and temperature. Without alcohol as preservative, it’s best consumed within a month, and in hot humid climates refrigeration is advised to maintain freshness.
This dense fruit cake suits holiday celebrations and pairs well with tea or coffee. The whiskey soak not only flavors but also helps preserve the cake’s moist crumb over time.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (15 oz/426 g) raisins
- ⅓ cup (2 oz/58 g) candied peel
- 1 medium orange zested
- 1 medium lemon zested
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/225 ml) Irish whiskey or apple juice/orange juice, O'Driscolls brand
- 1 ½ cups (8 oz/225 g) glace cherry
- 2 cups (10 oz/282 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ¼ cups (10 oz/300 g) butter room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups (13 oz/367 g) muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- 5 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup (2 ½ oz/71 g) almonds chopped or sliced
Notes
- Soak dried fruit in whiskey or juice overnight to plump and flavor the cake.
- Glacé cherries should be quartered and lightly coated in flour to keep them suspended in the batter during baking.
- Adjust baking time and temperature if using smaller pans; monitor doneness carefully.
- Store cake up to one month; refrigerate in warm, humid climates to preserve quality without alcohol preservative.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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