Here's a recipe for a delicious, traditional Christmas cake. It's bursting with dried fruit and coveredwith marzipan and fondant icing. As with all Christmas cakes, this one improves with keeping. You should aim tomake it at least a month before Christmas, and up to three months before. You may also make the cake early andfreeze.Serve as a plain fruit cake (see photos at the bottom of the page), or cover with marzipan and fondanticing or royal icing for a traditional cake.
I've broken down our instructions to give as much detail as possible for those not confident inChristmas cake making. I've also provided a number of photos of differently-decorated Christmas cakes forinspiration!
A slice of simply decorated Christmas cake with a glimpse of the marzipan. The topof this cake is very simply decorated with bought icing sugar flowers and silver cake ribbon has been placed aroundthe edge. The cake sits on a bought cake board.
Cake Ingredients:
Ihave suggested a combination of dried fruit below, but you may vary proportions and even the individualtypes of fruit as long as you ensure that the total quantity is 825g (1lb 13oz).
The ingredient list looks long, but don't panic! Measure out the dried fruit and chopped nuts first into onebowl, and then the spices into a small dish. It will seem less daunting that way!
50g (1 3/4 oz) chopped mixed peel
225g (8oz) currants
225g (8oz) raisins
225g (8oz) sultanas
100g (3 1/2 oz) glacé cherries, chopped
75g (2 3/4 oz) chopped almonds
120ml (4 fl oz) alcohol - sherry, rum or brandy
Zest of 1 orange
225g (8oz) softened butter
225g (8oz) soft dark brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
50g (1 3/4 oz) ground almonds
225g (8oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
50g (1 3/4 oz) self-raising (self-rising flour)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
The day before, or early morning:
Put all the first section of ingredients into a large bowl and stri well to mix. Cover with clingfilm (plasticwrap) and leave to soak overnight, or for at least4 hours.
Prepare your tin:
You will need a 20cm (8in) round tin or a 18cm (7in) square tin. Grease and line the base and sides with adouble thickness of greaseproof paper, or use2 pre-formed greaseproof paper cases.Cut a doublethickness band of brown paper a few inches higher than the tin and wrap and tie it round the tin with ordinarykitchen string.
Preheat the oven to 150C, 300F, Gas Mark 2
Make the batter:
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.Beat inthe orange zest.Add the eggsand ground almonds a little at a time, beating well.
Incorporate the flours and fruit:
Sift the flours together with the spices and salt. Add about one quarter to the batter, followed by a quarter ofthe fruit, folding gently to combine. Continue adding a quarter of each until everything is in the bowl.NB:It is important tofold gently and not to beat at this stage!
Pour the mixture into the tin and try to press the fruit down so that it doesn't stick out about the top of thecake mixture.
Bake:
Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for an hour. Lower the temperature to 140C, 275F or Gas Mark 1 and bakefor a further1 1/2 to 2 hours. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake - it should come outclean. If there is batter on the skewer, cook for a further 5 minutes and test again.
Cool and store:
Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the tin. Remove from the tin but keep the cakein the greaseproof paper, as this will help to keep it moist. Wrap in more greaseproof paper, then in foil. Storein a cool place for up to 3 months, or freeze if you prefer. If freezing, thaw the cake completely before addingmarzipan (almond paste) and icing.
Icing Your Christmas Cake
Christmas cakes are traditionally iced with royal icing - a thick white icing sugar paste which sets to becompletely hard and is usually spread over the cake first, then decorated with an icing bag and nozzles. Morepopular these days is fondant icing, especially as you can buy it ready made and ready rolled. Both icing methodsare described below. Whichever icing method you choose, you will first need to cover the cake with marzipan, usinga layer of jam to help the marzipan stick.
Marzipan(almond paste) layer:
Start 1-2 days before you intend to ice the cake!
4-5 tbsp apricot jam
500g (1lb 2oz) marzipan (almond paste)
Icing sugar (confectioners' sugar) for dusting
2 tsp brandy, optional
Mix the apricot jam with the water or brandy and heat gently in a small saucepan until it bubbles. Sieve toremove lumps then allow to cool.
Place cake on your icing turntable, cake stand or cake board. If necessary, trim the top of the cake flat.
Dust your surface and rolling pin with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan.Use the original cake tin asa guide to cutting a piece which will fit the top of the cake. Brush the top of the cake with the glaze and thengently lower themarzipan in place. Re-roll the scraps and cut a straight rectangular piece which will fitaround the edges of the cake. You can measure the perimeter of the cake using a piece of string. The more even andstraight you make this piece, the more professional your cake will look, so take care! Glaze the sides of the cakeand apply, smoothing the joins with your fingers.
You may wish to use the rolling pin to flatten the top of the cake lightly. Leave the cake in a cool, dry placefor a day or two to allow the marzipan to settle and dry.
Fondant icing:
750g (1lb 10oz) fondant icing
Icing sugar (confectioners' sugar) for dusting
Knead the fondant icing lightly to make it pliable. Roll out on a dusted work surface into a circular or squareshape at least 2 inches larger than the total surface of the cake, top and sides.
Using the rolling pin to help, lift the icing onto the cake and position carefully. Gently mold the icing overthe edges of the cake and trim off the excess where it meets the cake board.
Re-roll the scraps and use to decorate the cake, using icing cutters or a small knife to cut leaves, snowflakesetc.
Royal icing:
750g (1lb 10oz) royal icing, bought in packets or made by whisking 3 egg whites and adding, a little at a time,up to750g (1lb 10oz) of well-sieved icing sugar (confectioners' sugar). You can add 1-2 tsp glycerine to keepthe icingmore pliable if you like, and you may not need to add all the icing sugar. Aim for asoftpeaksconsistency if you want to spread the icing, and a stiff peaks consistency for piping. You may want todivide the icing - say two thirds soft peak and one third stiff peak - and keep the piping proportion in anairtight container to prevent it drying out before use.
Spreading royal icing is easier if you have a jug of very hot water,a palette knife and a clean cloth tohand. Spoon a large quantity of icing onto the centre of the cake then begin to spread it out using the paletteknife, cleaning it and warming it often in the hot water. It is hard to achieve a perfect finish - beginners maywant to aim for a snow-storm effect on the cake!
Christmas Cake Inspiration
To help you decide how to present your cake,I have found some photos and suggestions for inspiration.
This Christmas cake is roughly iced with royal icing - an easy effect to achieve! It stands on a high cake standand a small fluted piping nozzle has been used to pipe around the base of the cake. A tartan ribbon and small modelSanta decorate the stand. Finally, red and green fondant icing has been used to create a poinsettia on the top ofthe cake using simple leaves cut and marked with a sharp knife. Icing berries have been placed in the centre of thepoinsettia in a third colour, but red berries would also have worked.
This Christmas cake has been covered in perfectly smooth fondant icing. Scraps have been used to cut out prettystar shapes which have been stamped with edible gold paint in a tiny reindeer design before being placed on the topof the cake. A sprig of holly decorates the top of the cake, along with a bought icing sugar flower decoration. Asmall added "garnish" of gold curling ribbon completes the top, and a wide cake ribbon has been tied around theedge.
This bright and unusual Christmas cake is in essence the same cake as above. This time, however, a purple ribbonhas been used on the edge, and purple and white curling ribbons dropped on the top along with 3 small purpleChristmas baubles, silver confetti (not edible) and large edible purple dragees.
If iced cakes don't appeal, try leaving your cake uncovered. Glaze the top and then create a design with a mixutreof nuts (you can see brazil nuts, walnuts, hazlenuts and almonds used above). Sprinkle on some small silver drageesfor fun and festive spirit, and add a sprig of holly to the side of the cake board.
Finally, here's a very easy (and successful) Christmas cake to show you that anyone can have a go! This cake hasbeen decorated with a swirl of royal icing (with glycerine incorporated to give a slightly softer texture). A pathhas been marked through the "snow" for a model Santa, and pre-bought sugar Christmas trees and a little plasticreindeer have been placed on top. Note that the edges haven't been iced, which adds to the appeal. A simple redraffia bow decorates the sides.
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