PARKER FEIERBACH

Our best-ever Christmas cake recipe

Name: Our best-ever Christmas cake recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 45 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 20 serving(s)
Ingredients: 175 g butter, plus more to grease; 500 g raisins; 500 g sultanas; 150 g maraschino cocktail cherries; 150 mL Aperol, plus an additional 1tbsp; Finely grated zest 1 orange; 175 g light brown soft sugar; 1 1/2 tsp. each mixed spice and ground cinnamon; 200 g self-raising flour; 3 medium eggs, beaten

Inspired by everyone's favourite Italian aperitivo...

By Monaz DumasiaPublished: 20 October 2023

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Fruitcake? Sounds a bit old fashioned. It’s anything but – this is the future of Christmas cakes. By using heat, you don’t have to soak the fruit for days, plus cooking the mixture gives it a head-start, cutting down the baking time and making crazy cake tin prep redundant. You also don’t have to worry about the fruit sinking to the bottom because the butter is already melted.

Also: Aperol and maraschino cocktail cherries. What’s not to love? This guy is good to go once it’s cooled, but if you want to mature your cake… Wrap a few layers of clingfilm around the cooled cake in its paper, then cover with foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.

After two weeks of maturing, prick the top of the cake all over with a skewer and sprinkle over 1tbsp Aperol. Re-wrap and store as before.

Looking for more Christmas dessert recipes? Try our chocolate orange yule log.

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Yields:

20 serving(s)

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

1 hr 45 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 5 mins

Ingredients

175 g
butter, plus more to grease
500 g
raisins
500 g
sultanas
150 g
maraschino cocktail cherries
150 ml
Aperol, plus an additional 1tbsp
Finely grated zest 1 orange
175 g
light brown soft sugar
1 1/2 tsp.
each mixed spice and ground cinnamon
200 g
self-raising flour
3
medium eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Step 1Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Grease, then line the base and sides of a 20.5cm (8”) deep round cake tin with baking parchment. Put the raisins, sultanas and cocktail cherries into a very large pan with the 150ml Aperol and orange zest. Cook on a medium heat, until the dried fruit absorbs the Aperol and barely any liquid is left on the bottom of the pan.
2. Step 2Add the butter, sugar and spices and heat gently to melt, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and beaten eggs until combined.
3. Step 3Immediately tip the mixture into the prepared tin and spread until level. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, until the top feels dry to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Step 4Cover the cake with foil if it looks like it’s browning too quickly. Poke the top of the cooked cake with a cocktail stick. Evenly spoon over the remaining 1tbsp of Aperol. Cover loosely with foil and leave cake to cool completely in the tin. When cool, remove from tin and decorate or serve.