2 balls stem ginger in syrup, grated and syrup reserved
Zest and juice of 1 orange
175ml (6fl oz) brandy
2 splashes Angostura bitters
175g (6oz) unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease
175g (6oz) dark muscovado sugar
200g (7oz) self-raising flour
½ tsp each ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves
4 medium eggs, beaten
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20.5cm (8in) deep cake tin.
Step 2
Put all the dried fruit in a very large pan and add the ginger, 1tbsp reserved ginger syrup, orange zest and juice, brandy and Angostura bitters. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5min. Add butter and sugar and heat gently to melt. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
Step 3
Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. Add the flour, spices and beaten egg, then mix together well.
Step 4
Pour mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Wrap the sides of the tin in brown paper and secure with string to protect the cake during cooking. Bake for 2-2½hr. Leave in the tin for 2-3hr, then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack, leaving the greaseproof paper on. Wrap cake in a layer of clingfilm, then foil. Store in an airtight container.
After two weeks of maturing, prick the cake all over with a metal skewer and sprinkle over 1tbsp brandy. Leave to soak in, then rewrap and store as before. The Christmas cake will keep for up to three months.
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”!).
