Easy Traditional English Christmas Cake Recipe
Some classic recipes are steeped in history and tradition, and English Christmas Cake is one such food. What Brits refer to as traditional Christmas cake, we Americans more commonly call fruit cake. Although similar, both are dense cakes filled with dried fruit; the Christmas Cake takes it to a new level. Traditional British Christmas Cake is confused with a Christmas Pudding. The cake is made with a butter batter and has a more dense fruit cake texture, while the Christmas Pudding is a suet-based cake that is steamed and has a moist and crumbly texture. Give this Easy English Christmas Cake recipe a try this holiday season.
Learning To Make This Traditional Recipe From A Friend
I’m making this cake because an “old” friend makes it every year, and I asked her to teach me her recipe. She’s an honest-to-God English woman, accent and all. So much so that I often have no idea what she is saying, even though she claims to be speaking English! The recipe she uses is passed down from her mother-in-law. I admit I’m not a fan of fruit cake, but she assured me I would like this version. And making this cake with her was a fun way to kick off the upcoming holiday season.
The traditional version is made a few months before and “fed” brandy throughout October, November, and early December. Feeding the cake is brushing it with a spirit weekly. In this case, it was brandy, but some versions use rum or whisky; it is also possible to use a sweeter liqueur, such as cherry brandy or amaretto. The alcohol helps preserve the cake and gives it a distinctive, somewhat boozy flavor. You can make this cake and consume it straight away without using any alcohol. You will also notice that this recipe does not call for soaked fruit, but of course, you could soak the fruit before adding it to the cake.
One of the other distinctive aspects of the cake is the decorations. It is often covered in marzipan or royal icing. The decorating on the top of the cake can be pretty elaborate.
If you are looking for more Christmas traditions, check out the Fork & Wander post on the 21 Best Christmas Markets in The US for 2023.
What You Need For The Easy English Christmas Cake Recipe
To make a classic Christmas Cake, you will need a few specific items, including:
Springform Pan: Using a springform pan makes it easier to remove the cake from the pan. But you can use a traditional cake pan or even a square cake tin.
Parchment Paper: Parchment, or as Brits might call it, greaseproof paper or baking paper, is helpful. The paper is used to line the pan and wrap the cake between brushings with the brandy.
Key Ingredients:
- All-purpose Flour: For this cake, you use 2 cups of flour or 8 oz.
- Butter: This cake uses 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
- Eggs: 4 large eggs are used.
- Spices: The spiciness of the cake is part of the signature flavor, and you will use allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Dark Brown Sugar: The traditional cake is very molasses-based, so use dark brown sugar that has a higher molasses content.
- Orange & Lemon: Citrus is an essential element of flavor; you will use the lemon zest and orange zest plus the orange juice and lemon juice in the recipe.
- Dried Fruit: Here, you can get creative; traditionally, the cake calls for currants, raisins, and sultanas (golden raisins). But you can add dates, dried apricots, glace cherries (candied cherries in the US).
- Chopped Nuts: Use either walnuts or blanched almonds.
- Black Treacle: And we come to the most treasured ingredient of them all, Black Treacle. When I called it the British version of molasses, I got a mixed reaction from my friend, but in the end, that is what treacle is. The main difference is the treacle is a sweeter, less bitter molasses. You can find treacle at various specialty stores or online. But if you can’t find it, the traditional American molasses will work (don’t tell the Brits that).
Step-By-Step How To Guide For The Easy English Christmas Cake Recipe
- Step 1: Prepare the cake pan or tin; grease it and line it with parchment paper.
- Step 2: Sift flour with allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa.
- Step 3: Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl, adding the treacle and the citrus zest.
- Step 4: Beat in the eggs, one at a time, into the butter mixture, adding about a tablespoon of the dry ingredients with each egg.
- Step 5: Stir in the fruit mixture and nuts and add the citrus juices.
- Step 6: Fold in the remaining dry ingredients. Add a little milk if needed, depending on how thick the batter becomes.
- Step 7: Transfer to the prepared tin and bake at 300° for about 2.5 to 3 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The cooking time will vary, so keep an eye on the cake starting at the 2-hour mark. Cool completely on a wire rack. Once the cake is room temperature, brush it with brandy, then wrap it in a double layer of greaseproof paper and aluminum foil and store it in an airtight container.
- Step 8: Over the course of several weeks, brush the cake with brandy at regular intervals, re-wrap it with the parchment, and return it to an airtight tin until ready to decorate and serve.
Tips For Success
Tip 1 — Try to find the Black Treacle; it is a distinctive ingredient.
Tip 2 — Start your cake early. If you make this in late September, you will have time to feed the cake before Christmas. It also makes this a holiday prep tradition leading up to Christmas Day.
Tip 3 — If you don’t have enough time or don’t want to use the brandy, this cake can be consumed immediately. It will have a different texture and consistency, but it will still be a good cake.
English Christmas Cake
Ingredients
- 225 g 8 oz all-purpose flour
- 10 ml 2 teaspoons allspice
- 5 ml 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 ml 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 5 ml 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 175 g 6 oz unsalted butter
- 175 g 6 oz dark brown sugar
- 45 ml 3 tablespoons black treacle
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 4 eggs
- 550 g 1 1/4 lbs mixed dried fruit (currants, golden raisins, raisins)
- 50 g 2 oz chopped walnuts or blanched almonds
- 50 g 2 oz chopped dates (optional)
- 50 g 2 oz chopped glace cherries (optional)
- 15 ml 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F
- Prepare an 8″ round or 7″ square cake pan (buttered and lined with parchment).
- Sift flour with spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa.
- Cream butter with sugar, then add black treacle, orange, and lemon zest.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, adding 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of dry ingredients with each egg.
- Stir in dried fruit and nuts.
- Add orange and lemon juice.
- Fold in remaining dry ingredients (add milk if the batter gets too thick).
- Transfer to the prepared tin and smooth the top with a knife.
- Bake for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours. Start checking for doneness at around 2 hours by inserting a skewer into the center of the cake; it is done when it comes out clean.
- Leave in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
- Brush with brandy and wrap completely in parchment and aluminum foil, then put into an airtight container. Brush with brandy weekly until ready to serve. Before serving, decorate with marzipan or icing to make a more festive cake.
English Christmas Cake has a wonderfully rich and festive flavor, with its dense texture and blend of dried fruits