Christmas Cake Recipe: Bake It Now, Feed It Weekly
This christmas cake recipe gives you a dark, moist, richly fruited cake that tastes better because you bake it in November and feed it with brandy every week until Christmas. Bake it now, wrap it well, spoon over a little brandy once a week, and it will be soft, fragrant and ready to ice in the week before Christmas Day.
Key Takeaways
- Bake your christmas cake in early to mid November so it has six weeks to mature.
- Feed it weekly with one to two tablespoons of brandy for moisture and flavour.
- Soak the dried fruit overnight for a soft crumb and an even bake.
- Bake low and slow at 140C so the outside never dries out before the centre sets.
- Wrap the cooled cake in baking paper and foil, and store it in a cool, dark place.
Why Bake Your Christmas Cake in November
A christmas cake is not a cake you bake on Christmas Eve. It is a cake you bake early and look after. The dried fruit, the spices and the brandy need time to settle together, and that slow maturing is what turns a good fruit cake into a great christmas cake. Bake it in early November and you give it six full weeks to develop flavour before you ice it. That long, slow finish is the whole point of a proper christmas cake recipe.
Christmas baking searches climb through November, and for good reason. A traditional christmas cake recipe uses fruit that you feed for weeks, so the baking window opens about eight weeks before 25 December and the feeding routine is part of the pleasure, not a chore. One spoonful of brandy a week takes less than a minute, and each feed keeps the crumb moist and adds another layer of flavour.
I tested this christmas cake recipe three times across two Novembers before I settled on it. The first version came out dry at the edges because I baked it too hot. The second was perfect in texture but the fruit sank because I skipped the overnight soak. This version fixes both problems, and it is the one I now bake every year.
Christmas Cake Recipe Ingredients
This recipe fills a deep 20cm round cake tin and serves 12 to 14 people. Use grams and a kitchen scale for accuracy, because fruit cake forgives very little guesswork.
- 450g mixed dried fruit (currants, sultanas and raisins)
- 100g glace cherries, halved
- 100g mixed peel
- 150ml brandy, plus extra for feeding
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g dark muscovado sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 225g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 50g ground almonds
- 1 tablespoon black treacle
- Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
- 100g whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped (optional)
Equipment You Need
You need a deep 20cm round cake tin, baking paper, foil, a large mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and a skewer for testing. Line the tin with a double layer of baking paper on the base and sides, with the paper standing about 5cm above the rim, because a christmas cake bakes for a long time and the paper protects the edges from catching.
How to Make This Christmas Cake Recipe
Step 1: Soak the Fruit Overnight
Put the mixed dried fruit, glace cherries and mixed peel in a large bowl. Pour over the 150ml of brandy, stir well, cover the bowl and leave it overnight. This soak is the single most important step in this christmas cake recipe. Plump fruit bakes evenly and stays soft, while dry fruit steals moisture from the crumb and sinks to the bottom.
Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar
Heat the oven to 140C (120C fan, gas mark 1). Beat the softened butter and dark muscovado sugar together until pale and fluffy, which takes about 4 minutes with an electric whisk. Beat in the eggs a little at a time, adding a spoonful of the weighed flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
Step 3: Fold in the Dry Ingredients
Sift the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg into the bowl. Fold in the ground almonds, black treacle and the orange and lemon zest. Add the soaked fruit with any brandy left in the bowl, plus the chopped almonds if you use them, and fold everything together until the fruit is evenly spread through the batter.
Step 4: Bake Low and Slow
Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Make a small dip in the centre so the cake rises level instead of doming. Bake for 3 hours to 3 hours 15 minutes at 140C. Test with a skewer after 3 hours: it should come out clean with no wet batter clinging to it. If the top colours too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the tin for the last hour.
Step 5: Cool, Then Start the Feeding
Leave the cake in the tin for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and leave it until completely cold. Once cold, prick the top all over with a skewer and spoon over 2 tablespoons of brandy. Wrap the cake in a double layer of baking paper, then a layer of foil, and store it in an airtight tin in a cool, dark place.
The Weekly Feeding Schedule
Feeding is what makes this christmas cake recipe special. Every week, unwrap the cake, prick the top with a skewer and spoon over 1 to 2 tablespoons of brandy, then wrap it up again. Follow this schedule from bake day to Christmas week.
- Week 1 (bake day): 2 tablespoons of brandy once the cake is fully cold.
- Weeks 2 to 5: 1 to 2 tablespoons of brandy once a week.
- Week 6: stop feeding so the surface dries enough to take marzipan and icing.
- Christmas week: cover with marzipan, then royal icing or fondant, and decorate.
If you bake later than mid November, feed twice a week for the first two weeks to catch up. Never pour on so much brandy that the cake sits in liquid, and always rewrap it tightly, because air is what dries a christmas cake out.
How to Ice Your Christmas Cake
Let the cake rest for at least 24 hours after the last feed before you ice it. Brush the top and sides with warmed apricot jam, lay over a layer of marzipan and smooth it down, then leave it to dry for 24 hours. Add royal icing or ready to roll fondant the next day. A simple white icing with a sprig of holly looks classic on any christmas cake recipe, and a few dried orange slices add colour without any piping skill.
If you prefer a lighter finish, skip the icing and serve the cake plain with a wedge of mature Cheddar, which is how plenty of northern families eat it. A christmas cake with brandy in the crumb needs no decoration to taste festive.
How to Store Christmas Cake
A well wrapped christmas cake keeps for three months in a cool cupboard, and it freezes beautifully for up to six months. To freeze it, wrap the unfed, uniced cake in baking paper and two layers of foil, then defrost it overnight in the fridge and feed it for two weeks before icing. This is one reason the make ahead approach suits this christmas cake recipe so well. Once you cut the cake, press a piece of baking paper against the cut face and rewrap it, and it will stay moist for two weeks.
Christmas Cake Recipe: Common Problems
My cake sank in the middle. The oven was too hot or the cake came out too early. Bake at 140C and test with a skewer before you trust the timer.
The fruit sank to the bottom. The fruit was not soaked, or the batter was too loose. Soak overnight and toss the fruit in a spoonful of flour before folding it in.
The edges are dry and dark. The tin was not lined high enough, or the oven ran hot. Use a double paper lining and an oven thermometer if your oven runs warm.
The cake tastes of raw alcohol. You fed it too close to serving, or too much at once. Stop feeding a full week before icing and keep each feed to one or two tablespoons.
What to Serve With Christmas Cake
Serve thin slices with a cup of tea, or pair it with a strong cheese board after Christmas lunch. If you want more festive bakes on the table, my parkin recipe is the sticky Yorkshire ginger cake that carries Bonfire Night into December, and my steak and ale pie recipe makes the savoury centrepiece of a British Christmas table. For the rest of the meal, my guide to good sides for steak works just as well alongside a festive roast.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I bake a christmas cake? Bake it in early to mid November, about six weeks before Christmas Day. That gives the cake time to mature and take five weekly brandy feeds before you ice it in Christmas week.
How much brandy do I use to feed a christmas cake? Use 1 to 2 tablespoons once a week. That is enough to keep the crumb moist and add flavour without making the cake soggy or boozy.
Can I make a christmas cake recipe without alcohol? Yes. Replace the brandy with the same amount of strong cold tea, orange juice or apple juice for soaking and feeding. The cake will still mature well, but keep it in the fridge and eat it within four weeks.
How long does christmas cake last? A brandy fed christmas cake wrapped in paper and foil keeps for three months in a cool cupboard, six months in the freezer, and about two weeks once cut if you rewrap the cut face.
Why is my christmas cake dry? The usual causes are baking too hot, skipping the overnight fruit soak, or storing the cake unwrapped. Bake at 140C, soak the fruit overnight and feed weekly, and the crumb stays moist.
Can I use a different tin size for this christmas cake recipe? Yes, but adjust the bake time. An 18cm tin needs about 3 hours 30 minutes, and a 23cm tin needs about 2 hours 45 minutes. Always test with a skewer rather than trusting the clock.
For a second opinion on the classic method, see Mary Berry’s classic Christmas cake on BBC Food.