A fruit cake covered in white icing with a slice taken out of it

Classic Christmas cake

Name: Classic Christmas cake
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 600g currants, sultanas and raisins; 100g glacé cherries; 50g mixed peel chop a couple of whole pieces if you can; 50g glacé ginger or crystallised ginger roughly chopped; 100g glacé or diced pineapple roughly chopped; 60ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier; 60ml ginger wine; 2 tbsp Angostura bitters the orange version is good; 225g light muscovado sugar; 250g butter softened; 225g plain flour; 1tsp ground ginger; ¼ of a whole one nutmeg grated; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tbsp vanilla extract; 100g whole blanched almonds; 4 eggs; 1 orange zested; 2 tbsp apricot jam mixed with 1 tbsp water and sieved; 500g marzipan; corn flour for rolling; 4 tbsp vodka; 500g ready-roll fondant icing

Published: November 23, 2023 at 12:05 PM

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A little effort

Total time: 5 hrs

+ up to 2 days soaking and cooling

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Get ahead with your festive baking and rustle up our gently spiced fruit cake, covered in marzipan and fondant icing. This classic Christmas cake serves 12

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

Try our Christmas cake recipe then check out our Christmas pudding, mince pies, vegan Christmas cake and more Christmas baking recipes.

If you are following a free-from diet, then also check out our vegan Christmas cake and gluten-free Christmas cake

Recipe tip: Fill any holes and dips in the Christmas cake with extra marzipan before you cover it with the marzipan layer. For an alternative decorating option, whip up a batch of our homemade royal icing to cover this cake, instead. Discover more of our Christmas cake decorating ideas.

How to store your Christmas cake

This make-ahead Christmas cake will keep up to three weeks if stored in an air-tight container in a cool place. Otherwise wrap the un-iced cake in airtight wrapping and store in the freezer for up to six months, then defrost thoroughly before icing.

Ingredients

Nutrition

600g currants, sultanas and raisins
100g glacé cherries
50g mixed peel

chop a couple of whole pieces if you can
50g glacé ginger or crystallised ginger

roughly chopped
100g glacé or diced pineapple

roughly chopped
60ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier
60ml ginger wine
2 tbsp Angostura bitters

the orange version is good
225g light muscovado sugar
250g butter

softened
225g plain flour
1tsp ground ginger
¼ of a whole one nutmeg

grated
1 tsp  cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
100g whole blanched almonds
4 eggs
1 orange

zested

CAKE DECORATION

2 tbsp apricot jam

mixed with 1 tbsp water and sieved
500g marzipan
corn flour

for rolling
4 tbsp vodka
500g ready-roll fondant icing

Nutrition: per serving

kcal924
fat29.9g
saturates12.4g
carbs156.2g
fibre3.4g
protein10.5g
salt0.57g

Method

step 1

Soak the dried and glacé fruit in the alcohol and Angostura bitters for up to 2 days.
step 2

Heat the oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Line an 18cm square or 20cm round cake tin with 2 layers of baking parchment. Beat the sugar and butter together then sift in the flour and spices and mix briefly. Add the vanilla, almonds, eggs, orange zest and the fruit and alcohol mix and stir together. Spoon into the tin and make a dip in the centre with the back of a spoon so that when the cake rises in the middle you get a at top. Bake for 3-31/2 hours then cool in the tin in the oven.
step 3

Peel off the paper and brush off any crumbs, then brush the top with the jam. Roll out the marzipan on a work surface dusted with corn flour until it is big enough to cover the cake. Lift it over the cake using a rolling pin and smooth down all the way around. Trim any excess. Brush with vodka then roll out the icing and cover in the same way. Trim the icing around the edges and neaten. Roll out the icing off-cuts and cut out different sized stars, brush with a little vodka and stick to the cake. Finish with a ribbon.

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