Easy & Moist Christmas Cake: Your Festive Fruit Cake Recipe
This recipe is for an easy and moist Christmas cake, a festive fruit cake. It uses a variety of dried fruits, spices, and a choice of apple juice or brandy for soaking, resulting in a rich and flavorful dessert.
Servings: 16 slices
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Baking Tin
- Whisk/Spatula
- Oven
Ingredients
Cake
- 300 g raisins or 10 oz
- 150 g diced dried apricots chopped 8 mm / 1/3", or 5 oz
- 75 g mixed peel diced 5mm / 1/5", or 2.5 oz
- 150 g glace cherries chopped 8 mm / 1/3", or 5 oz
- 180 g dates diced 5mm / 1/5", or 6 oz
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice OR 1/3 brandy + 2/3 juice (Note 2)
- 120 g unsalted butter softened (1 US stick), or 8 tbsp
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar packed (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola, peanut, grapeseed
- 3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup (Note 4)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 2/3 cups plain flour all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup walnuts chopped (optional)
- 500 ml pouring custard homemade or store bought (Note 5), or 1 pint
- 250 g ready to roll marzipan or 8 oz
- 250 g ready to roll white fondant or 8 oz
- Cherries dusted with icing sugar
- Cherries or other fruit dusted with icing sugar on plain cake, looks very pretty!
- Drippy white glaze directions below
Instructions
Fast Soaked Fruit
- Combine all dried fruits with apple juice (or brandy mixture) in a bowl and let them soak.
Cake
- Cream together softened butter and dark brown sugar. Mix in vegetable oil, molasses, salt, and all the spices until well combined. Beat in the large eggs one by one.
- Gradually add the plain flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the soaked fruits and chopped walnuts, then pour the batter into a prepared baking tin and bake until a skewer comes out clean.
Christmas Cake Decorating options
- Decorate your cooled Christmas cake with either "ready to roll" marzipan and white fondant for a classic look. Alternatively, top with cherries or other fruits dusted with icing sugar, or apply a drippy white glaze.
Notes
The recipe offers a choice between apple juice or a brandy and juice mix for soaking. Ensure dark brown sugar is packed. You can use either molasses or golden syrup. Pouring custard can be homemade or store-bought.