This is our best ever Christmas cake recipe for 2023

A Christmas cake made from scratch really can't be beaten and this is a wonderful classic recipe.

By The Good Housekeeping Cookery TeamUpdated: 18 August 2023

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This Christmas cake recipe is an absolute classic. Soak the fruits overnight before you start making the cake and it'll result in a plump and juicy filling. Hazelnut liqueur adds a wonderfully boozy and nutty twist to this classic Christmas treat - one that the whole family will love.

Before you start baking here's everything you need to know about making a Christmas cake.

What is the difference between a fruit cake and a Christmas cake?

A Christmas cake typically has way more dried fruit in it, compared to a regular fruit cake, and is typically topped with a layer of marzipan and icing sugar.

How far in advance should you make a Christmas cake?

Traditionally, Christmas cakes, along with Christmas puddings, are made on Stir-Up Sunday (which falls on 26 November this year), about a month in advance, to allow the cakes to mature and develop into a deeply rich and fragrant pudding.

What keeps Christmas cake moist?

The key to a winning Christmas cake, and to keep it moist is using plump, juicy fruit. If you’re making via the traditional method, the dried fruit needs to be soaked in alcohol or fruit juice beforehand. An overnight steeping is great if you have time, but the easiest and speediest way to do it is to heat the fruit and liquid together – either in a pan or a microwave – then let it cool before you use it.

Don’t cook your fruitcake at too high a temperature – there’s a lot of sugar in the dried fruit, which will make it burn and taste bitter. Low and slow allows the batter to bake without compromising the fruit.

If you like a rich, complex flavour, opt for a recipe that uses treacle and/or dark brown sugar. Lighter sugar and golden syrup will give a sweeter flavour.

What spices and flavouring can I use?

You can’t go wrong with cinnamon and mixed spice, but nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves can add different depths and dimensions. Woody herbs such as rosemary and more intense flavours like star anise and fennel seeds give a refreshing new edge for those who are looking for something less run-of-the-mill.

If you’re not keen on spice, it’s still better to add a small bit for a balanced flavour, rather than leave it out altogether.

What alcohol do you put in Christmas cake?

In terms of alcohol, you can get creative too – just try to substitute within the same family.

Spirits, liqueurs and fortified wines all have differing alcohol and sugar contents, so trying to substitute rum (a spirit) with amaretto (a liqueur) won’t work so well. Rum, brandy and whisky can be used interchangeably, or if you’ve got a sweeter liqueur in your recipe, sub for amaretto, Aperol or Frangelico. With their dried fruit flavours, Port, sherry, madeira and marsala are very complementary to the flavours of Christmas cake.

How long can a Christmas cake last?

Wrapped properly, a fruit cake can last for months (sometimes years!). Keep the cake in its parchment paper, wrap in a couple of layers of clingfilm, then cover the whole thing tightly with foil. Store in a cool dark place, at room temperature.

What is feeding the cake?

Feeding the Christmas cake with alcohol makes it delightfully squidgy, can add extra flavour. To feed a Christmas cake, after a couple of weeks maturing, unwrap the cake and use a cocktail stick to poke small holes in the cake, then evenly pour over a spoonful of your chosen booze. Re-wrap the cake and repeat the process once every week, to two weeks.

For more Christmas cake recipes, take a look at our gallery for lots of variations on the classic, or why not try a Christmas pudding recipe?

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Yields:

30 serving(s)

Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

4 hrs

Total Time:

4 hrs 30 mins

Cal/Serv:

282

Ingredients

500 g
sultanas
400 g
raisins
150 g
each prunes and dried figs, roughly chopped
200 g
dried apricots, roughly chopped
zest and juice of 2 oranges
200 ml
hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico, plus extra for drizzling
250 g
unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
150 g
dark muscovado sugar
150 g
light brown sugar
200 g
plain flour, sifted
1 tsp.
ground cinnamon
1 tsp.
mixed spice
1/4 tsp.
ground cloves
1/4 tsp.
freshly grated nutmeg
4
large eggs, beaten
100 g
toasted, blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
40 g
toasted pine nuts

Directions

1. Step 1
  Put the fruit in a non-metallic bowl and stir in the orange zest and juice and hazelnut liqueur. Cover and leave to soak overnight or, preferably, up to three days.
2. Step 2
  Preheat oven to 140° (120°C fan) mark 1. Grease and double-line a 23cm cake tin with greaseproof paper, making sure the paper comes at least 5cm above the top of the tin. Then wrap a double layer of greaseproof paper around the outside of the tin, securing with string - this will stop the cake burning.
3. Step 3
  Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy - this should take about 5min.
4. Step 4
  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, spices and a pinch of salt. Beat 2tbsp of the flour mix into the butter and sugar then gradually add the eggs, making sure the mixture doesn't curdle. If it looks as if it might be about to, add a little more flour.
5. Step 5
  Fold the remaining flour into the mixture with a large metal spoon, followed by the soaked fruit and nuts. Tip into the prepared tin and level the surface. Using the end of the spoon, make a hole in the centre of the mix, going right down to the base of the tin - this will stop the top of the cake rising into a dome shape as it cooks. Bake for 4hr or until a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil if it is browning too quickly. Leave to cool in the tin for 10min, then take out and cool on a wire rack, keeping the greaseproof paper wrapped around the outside of the cake.
6. Step 6
  To store, leave the cold cake in its greaseproof paper. Wrap a few layers of clingfilm around it, then cover with foil. Store in a cool place in an airtight container. After two weeks, unwrap the cake, prick all over and pour over 1tbsp of brandy or hazelnut liqueur. Rewrap and store as before.

GH Tip: The cake will keep for up to three months stored in this way. It can be doused in alcohol every week if you like a stronger taste.

Per Serving:

Calories: 282
Total carbs: 41 g
Sugars: 35 g
Total fat: 11 g
Saturated fat: 5 g

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The Good Housekeeping Cookery Team

An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).

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