HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE. When you start your prep for making this awesome Christmas Fruit Cake at home, ahead of Christmas, it is then that you get into the Christmas mood!
Christmas preparations begin a month in advance where you need to soak the fruits in alcohol and bake the cake ahead of Christmas. The aroma of baking a fruit cake at home lifts your spirits and you can smell Christmas in your home.
A slice of rich and moist Homemade Christmas Fruit Cake with Marzipan after the Christmas night mass is what we always look forward to.
In this post, let’s learn How to Make Christmas Cake at Home in 3 easy steps.
Table of Contents
- How to Make Christmas Cake at Home in 3 easy steps
- Step I – Soak fruit for Christmas Cake
- Step II – Christmas Cake Mixing Ingredients
- Step III – Baking Christmas Cake
How to Make Christmas Cake at Home in 3 easy steps
Yields: Approx. 1.5 Kgs
Fruits Soaking Time: 2 days to 60 days or even up to a year
Cake Prep Time: 15 minutes
Baking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes at 160 deg C
Step I – Soak fruit for Christmas Cake
- For 200 grams of all-purpose flour, you will need around 400 – 500 grams of mixed fruits and nuts of your choice. Cut into small pieces, black currants, raisins, pitted dates, candied peels, candied ginger, apricot, figs, etc.
- Put the fruits in a glass jar, along with lime or orange zest, and then add rum or brandy to soak the fruits. Keep the jar at room temperature, and give it a shake daily. Allow the fruits to soak in alcohol for at least 2 days. You could also use fruits soaked for up to one year too.
- If you have forgotten to soak the fruits, no worries, boil the fruits in rum, cool them, and then add them to the cake batter. Also add chopped nuts like almonds, cashew, walnuts, pecans, etc while mixing the cake batter.
Step II – Christmas Cake Mixing Ingredients
- All-Purpose flour or Maida – 200 grams
- Demerara Sugar – 150 grams
- Butter (salted) – 200 grams
- Vegetable Oil – 2 tbsp (optional, you can skip)
- Eggs – 4 whole
- Mixed fruits and nuts – 450 to 500 grams. Soak fruits in ¾ cup Rum or Brandy
- Spice powder (Nutmeg, Cinnamon & Cloves) – 1 tsp
- Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
- Dark caramelized Sugar ½ cup *see the recipe card
- Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
- Rum or Brandy for feeding the cake, as required.
- Zest of orange and lime – 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste (if using unsalted butter)
To give your cake a rich dark brown colour you may like to use caramelized sugar. Also, recommend using demerara sugar instead of castor sugar.
How to caramelize sugar? Add 200 gms sugar (1cup) in a hot saucepan and then add 1/4 cup water. Let the sugar dissolve on its own and caramelize till brown. Switch off the heat and the sugar will caramelize further in the residual heat and turn dark brown. Do not stir the sugar until it caramalizes to avoid crystallization. Allow the caramel to cool completely. Once cool it will harden
Now place this caramel on the stove on low heat and add 1/4 cup (60 ml) water. Mix well on low to medium heat and keep stirring on till you achieve the desired thickness. Then switch off the heat and allow to cool. Keep this sugar caramel aside for use in the cake batter. This will not thicken now.
If making caramel for puddings, switch off the heat once sugar turns golden or light brown.
- Add baking powder to the all-purpose flour and sieve. Sieve the flour at least 3 times to ensure a light cake. Now, strain the fruits and add them to the sieved flour. Also, add in the chopped nuts and mix gently.
- Next, in a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, and 2 tbsp oil till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and then continue to beat. You could use an electric beater or a whisk for this purpose. Now, add the reserved liquid, if any, vanilla essence, orange and lime zest, and spice powder. Also, add the caramel and mix well.
- Finally, add the flour with the fruits and nuts and fold gently into the batter with the help of a spatula. Don’t over-mix the batter.
Step III – Baking Christmas Cake
- Preheat your oven to 160 deg C for at least 10 minutes.
- To bake the Christmas Cake you could use an 8 or 9- inch baking pan. Grease the baking pan and then line it with parchment paper.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and spread it evenly. Tap the tin a couple of times to ensure that there are no air bubbles and then place it into the preheated oven.
- Next, Bake the Christmas cake at 160 deg C for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- When the cake is still warm, prick a few holes with a skewer and feed it with 1- 2 tbsp of rum. Leave the cake to cool on a cooling rack. Once cool, cover it with a cling film and keep it in an airtight container. You must feed the cake every 2 days with alcohol until you decorate it, for homemade rich and moist Christmas Fruit Cake.
Christmas Cake Video
Serving Suggestions
Decorate this Easy Fruit Christmas Cake with Marzipan and Fondant. Roll out the marzipan and cover the cake evenly. Top this marzipan layer with fondant. You can make your own fondant or buy it at the stores selling cake items, or Arife at Crawford Market.
Enjoy rich and moist Homemade Christmas Fruit Cake on Christmas Day with family and friends.
Easy Cake Recipes to try
Coconut Cake with Fresh Coconut
Printable Recipe Card
Homemade Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe | How to Make Christmas Cake At Home
Ingredients
Christmas Cake Mixing Ingredients
- 200 grams All-Purpose flour/Maida
- 150 grams Sugar or Demerara sugar Powdered
- 200 grams Butter
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 4 Eggs
- 450-500 grams Mixed fruits and nuts Fruits soaked in ¾ cup Rum or Brandy. Nuts chopped.
- 1 tsp Spice powder (Nutmeg, Cinnamon & Cloves)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
- ½ cup Dark caramelized Sugar *see notes
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- Rum or Brandy for feeding the cake, as required.
- 1 tbsp zest of orange and lime
- Salt to taste if using unsalted butter
Instructions
How to Make Christmas Cake at Home
- Add Baking powder to the flour and sieve three times. Add the nuts and the drained fruits. Mix well.
- In a mixing bowl, add butter, oil, and sugar and beat till soft and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat.
- Add Vanilla essence, citrus zest, spice powder the liquid, if any, reserved from fruits. Mix well
- Now add the flour with fruits and nuts and mix gently with a spatula.
- Pour into a greased baking tin and bake at 160°C for approx. 1½ hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the tin after 10 min. Prick the cake with a skewer and feed with 1 – 2 tbsp rum. Let it cool on a cooling rack.
- Cover the cake with marzipan and fondant
Notes
- Sometimes the cake batter curdles while mixing. This is when we use cold butter or eggs. In this case, heat the caramel syrup when you add it to the cake.
- It is therefore important to have all the ingredients at room temperature.
- You can increase or decrease the quantity of rum/brandy. But drain the fruits of the excess rum/brandy before using.
- Baking time may increase or decrease, depending on your oven temperature. You need to keep a check.
- To caramelize sugar, take 150 gms sugar in a saucepan and add 1/4 cup water. Dissolve the sugar and let it caramelize till dark brown. Do not stir after the sugar melts. Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool. Now add 1/2 cup water. Stir and switch off the flame after you get the desired texture. Make this caramel syrup a day earlier for use in the cake batter.
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Awesome recipe
Thank you, Leander