The Best Christmas Cake Recipe Ever!

2 Min Read
The-Best-Christmas-Cake-Recipe-Ever The Bottle Club

Here at The Bottle Club we pride ourselves on not being the overly dramatic type so here’s a little reminder that CHRISTMAS IS ON IT’S WAY, IT’S COMING AND YOU NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT IT IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!

Ok, so maybe we jumped the gun a little bit but there is one pressing issue… Christmas cake. If like us you believe that nothing can beat a good homemade Christmas cake then you’ll know they take 3 months to really mature into the heavenly treats that they are.

We got our hands on some of the most amazing recipes we could find and used the best parts from each to bring you the most decadent, fruity Christmas Cake recipe ever! But before we get down to it you have one decision to make... your alcohol of choice!! Our recipe uses one of either Rum, Whiskey or Brandy. There really is no right answer as to which liquor you choose but once you have, we've narrowed down our favourite bottles of each for you.

For a rum infused treat we love Butterfly Cane Spiced Rum. The honey and spicy notes work amazingly well this time of year!

If you're going with Whiskey our pick is Glenfiddich's 12 Year Old. This added to the dried fruit makes for a gorgeously fruity cake!

Brandy is your thing? Perfect. This VSOP from Janneau will warm your cake through with waves of vanilla!

Now you've made your pick, let's get down to business... Here's the recipe for the best Christmas Cake ever!!

 

Ingredients

  • 100g raisins

  • 150g currants

  • 250g sultanas

  • 80g dried figs, chopped

  • 100g glacé cherries, halved

  • 100g mixed peel

  • 130ml rum, whisky or brandy + extra to feed

  • 125g butter, softened

  • 125g dark brown sugar

  • 4 large eggs, beaten

  • 130g plain flour – sifted

  • ½ tsp baking powder

  • 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice

  • 50g ground almonds

  • 60g whole blanched almonds

  • 30g stem ginger

  • Grated zest of 1 orange

  • Grated zest of 1 large lemon

  • pinch of salt

 

Method

 

  • Soak the dried fruit, cherries, mixed peel and your chosen liquor

  • Cover and soak for 2 days. Stir each day and stir well before use.

  • Preheat the oven to 140C.

  • Grease a 20cm baking tin add 2 layers of baking parchment on the base and to the sides.

  • Place the butter, sugar, sifted flour, baking powder, mixed spice,

    pinch

    of salt and the eggs in a large bowl and mix until well combined.

  • Add the soaked fruits, ground almonds, whole almonds, stem ginger, orange and lemon zest and stir well to combine.

  • Add the fruity cake mixture to your prepared tin and smooth the surface. Create a small hollow in the middle to prevent a domed cake top.

  • Put the cake in the oven for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes check the colour of the cake top, cover with foil to prevent it

    over browning

    . Bake for a further 45 minutes.

  • Remove the cake from the oven. Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake. If it is clean the cake is fully cooked, if not, return to the oven to bake for a little longer. Check after 5-10 minutes and continue this process until it is cooked and the skewer comes out clean.

  • Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin

  • Use a skewer to poke a few holes into the cake, push 90% of the way down but not all the way to the base of the cake. Brush the top with 1-2 tablespoons of liquor.

  • Carefully remove the cake from the tin. DO NOT remove the parchment. Add another layer of parchment to seal the cake all the way

    round

    then cover with two layers of foil.

  • Store the cake in an airtight container or cake tin in a cool place away from direct sunlight.

  • To keep the cake moist you will need to feed the cake every 3 weeks. Simply brush the surface of the cake with a couple of tablespoons of liquor.

    Re wrap

    well and pop back into storage after each feeding session.

  • Decorate a day or two before Christmas with marzipan and icing. Avoid feeding for a couple of days prior to icing to ensure the cake top is dry.

And there you have it, The Bottle Club’s family Christmas cake recipe that’s guaranteed to have people putting in their orders for next year ridiculously early!

Need a pick me up to get through the week?

Check out our Espresso Martini Spotlight and put that pep back in your step!