Christmas Cake 2025

hoto © Anne-Marie Minhall

A labour of love is no labour at all.

Said someone once.

I believe that the roots of that quote are biblical.

Christmas Cake time.

An afternoon needs to be set aside for this dedicated undertaking.

Three days earlier I soaked 1kg of various dried fruits in a very decent brandy together with the zest of an unwaxed orange & lemon.

Now, time to get busy.

You'll need a deep & round 23cm tin

Butter & double line it with greaseproof paper

Oven 140C/120 Fan/Gas 1

To a bowl ..

250g Butter softened (really well softened)

250g Light Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

1 tbsp Black Treacle

75g Toasted Hazelnuts, chopped

75g Self-Raising Flour

175g Plain Flour

1tsp Mixed Spice

1/2tsp Cinnamon

1/2tsp Ground Ginger

A pinch of salt

A large bowl will be needed

In goes the butter, sugar, eggs, treacle & nuts

Beat everything together really well 

Add the flours & spices & mix

Time for the soaked plump fruit to get involved, add & stir thoroughly

Spoon into the greased & lined baking tin making sure it's all level before placing into the oven for 4 hours, possibly 4 & a half

Check the cake after 2 hours & cover with foil if it's reached the colour you want

After 4 hours the cake should feel firm &, if you place a skewer into the centre, it must come out clean. If it doesn't, give the cake another 30 minutes in the oven

Leave in the tin to cool &, once completely cold, wrap in more baking parchment & foil before storing in Tupperware.

The next day, pierce the cake & then feed it with some more drops of brandy. Repeat weekly until Christmas.

This is the festive cake which I share with friends & then deliver. As I cut slices & pack them into little boxes (with ribbons, well, it is Christmas) I scoop up a few wayward crumbs and eat them greedily.

Favourite cake bake of the year.

AMM