Snack

Christmas Cake

Name: Christmas Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 165 min
Total time: 195 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200g butter; 200g muscovado sugar; 200g plain flour; 4 beaten eggs, beaten; 50g ground almonds; 100ml sherry; 85g candied peel; 85g glacé cherries; 250g raisins; 250g currants; 100g pecan nuts; lemon, zested and grated, Grated zest of 1; 1 ½ tbsp mixed spice; 1 ½ tbsp rose water; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp baking powder

A rich British Christmas fruit cake made with sherry, dried fruit, candied peel, glacé cherries, pecans, and warming mixed spice.

3 hr 15 min
450 kcal
Vegetarian
British
Cake
Dessert

Mellowpan tip: Makes 16 servings, plenty to share.

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Ingredients

For 16 servings

Steps

Step 1:
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3.
Step 2:
Line the base and sides of a 20 cm round, 7.5 cm deep cake tin.
Step 3:
Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 1–2 minutes until very creamy and pale, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
1–2 min
Step 4:
Stir in a spoonful of the flour.
Step 5:
Stir in the beaten egg and the remaining flour alternately, one quarter at a time, beating well each time with a wooden spoon.
Step 6:
Stir in the ground almonds.
Step 7:
Mix in the sherry; the mixture will look curdled.
Step 8:
Add the candied peel, glacé cherries, raisins, glacé cherries, pecan nuts, grated lemon zest, mixed spice, rose water, and vanilla extract.
Step 9:
Beat together to combine.
Step 10:
Stir in the baking powder.
Step 11:
Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre.
Step 12:
Bake for 30 minutes.
30 min
Step 13:
Lower the temperature to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and bake for a further 2–2¼ hours, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Step 14:
Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then remove it from the tin and peel off the lining paper.
Step 15:
When completely cold, wrap well in cling film and foil and store until ready to decorate. The cake will keep for several months.