**** This post was first published on 19th November 2015. It has now been updated with new pictures and a video *****
A couple of months ago I shortlisted the recipe of the Christmas cake I was going to bake this year. Not so much in favour of boozy cakes I decided to bake my cake a few days before Christmas day but everything changed the minute I set my eyes on this recipe which my cousin Prema shared with me over a chat on whatsapp. She and I love to discuss cakes and bakes and every year we discuss and shortlist recipes for Christmas. Sharing of ideas helps as the internet is so huge now and it’s just impossible to scan all the recipes single handedly. The recipe looked easy and the amount of fruit that was required wasn’t as much as that in my previously shortlisted recipe. The outcome would be the same infact better I am sure as this cake now needs a total of 4-5 feeds over a span of a month. Perfect timing, I thought to myself. I baked this two days ago and wanted to share the recipe immediately but got caught up with my chores.
If you want to get into the Christmas mood a little early this year, go make this cake this weekend. You will still have 4 weeks before you cut the cake for Christmas – enough time to give the cake its boozy feeds. If you dislike the alcohol in it just skip it. Soak the fruits in everything except the alcohol and bake the cake a couple of days prior to cutting it so that it gives it a little rest and helps the flavours mature a bit.
In the picture collage above notice how tall the sides of the pan need to be and how raised the baking parchment needs to be. The first picture also shows a cover for the cake made out of parchment with a little cross mark in the centre to let out the steam. This is an important step. To show the difference in the linings I have used baking parchment of two colours (brown and white). The third picture shows how the inner lining needs to be raised as well because the batter is quite a bit and we don’t want it spilling over or the cake forming a muffin shape during the baking process. I have used a springform pan which has tall, straight sides unlike other baking pans that have a bit of curved sides or handles.
This picture collage shows how the cake needs to be turned upside down before poking it in a few places with the help of a long skewer (I have used a metal one here, you may use wooden ones used to string kebabs). The cake is then fed alcohol and finally wrapped in cling film or foil and stored in an airtight container. This process has to be repeated every 10 days in the runup to Christmas.
I will update this post with the final pictures of the cake after I have decorated it – perhaps 2 days before Christmas, so do drop by again to see how the cake looks. I will give a full review of the cake and how it tastes after I’ve tasted it 🙂 I decided to post the recipe anyway if it helps someone.
Thank you Prema for sharing this recipe with me!
For more Christmas cake recipes please scroll down to the bottom of this post!
Traditional Irish Christmas Cake
A tall, rich, dark fruit cake prepared with Irish whiskey and a medley of dry fruits is hearty and delicious and a real show stopper
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Ingredients
For the fruit Mix (To be soaked overnight)
- 450 grams (1 lb) sultanas (golden kishmish)
- 225 grams (1/2 lb) raisins (brown kishmish)
- 225 grams (1/2 lb) currants (black kishmish)
- 100 grams (4 oz) glacé cherries (candied), halved or whole, not chopped
- 50 grams (2 oz) mixed candied peel, finely chopped (I used candied papaya)
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon I skipped this
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- grated zest & juice of 1 lemon
- grated zest & juice of 1 orange
- 2 medium sized apples, finely grated
- 100 grams almonds slivered
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 4 tablespoons Irish whiskey
For the cake:
- 280 grams (10 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 225 grams (8 oz) soft brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 280 grams (10 oz) all-purpose flour (maida)
- 50 grams (2 oz) almond powder (ground almonds)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Soak the fruit the night before you plan to bake your cake:
- Roughly chop the sultanas, raisins and currants. Finely chop the candied peel. Halve the glacé cherries if they are whole. Don’t chop them. Place all these dry fruits along with the rest of the ingredients mentioned under For the fruit Mix (To be soaked overnight) in a big bowl, mix well and cover with cling wrap.
Prepare the baking tin (very important – don’t skip this step as the cake will bake for hours and you don’t want to burn it!)
- You will need an 8″ square or a 9″ round pan with tall, straight sides, preferably a spring form pan. Make sure that the pan does not have handles/flat on the sides (like the one’s by Prestige brand). This is because you will need to cover the sides of the baking tin with baking paper to prevent the cake from burning.
- Grease and line the base of the baking tin with baking parchment. Next, grease and line the sides of the pan with baking parchment that extends a little over the sides (the sides of the paper should be higher than the sides of the tin – this is because your cake will rise much above the depth of the cake so you don’t want it to spill over or form a muffin top).
- Take two long sheets of baking paper and fold them in half, horizontally and cover the tin on the outside and fasten it with a string (I managed this with stapler pins – but make sure the pins don’t come lose and fall into your batter!). Your cake tin will be invisible by now. Basically you are securing the tin in such a way as if a crown or a chef’s hat has been placed around it.
- Cut an extra round or square piece of baking parchment and cut a cross mark in the centre. This sheet will be placed right on top of your tin to protect the batter from browning too fast.
Bake the Cake – After the fruits have been soaked for at least 12 hours
- Preheat oven to 150 degrees C (or 140 C if you are using a fan oven).
- Sift the flour and the salt together into a bowl. Stir in the almond powder and set aside
- In a large bowl beat the butter and the sugar until the mixture looks pale. Add the eggs one by one beating between each addition. If the mixture looks like it is curdling then just add a tablespoon or two of flour.
- When all the eggs have been beaten, add the flour in parts and fold it into the mixture using a spatula.
- Now mix the soaked fruits in parts, folding to incorporate. Any remaining liquid of the fruits needs to be added as well.
- The batter will be quite stiff – transfer it into the prepared tin and level off on all sides using a spoon. Smoothen it in such a way that the sides are slightly higher than the centre (this is because the centre will rise anyway and we don’t want much of a dome shaped cake here)
- Cover the top of the tin with the extra round/square sheet of baking parchment and bake for approximately 2-1/2 to 3 hours. The baking time may vary depending on the type/size of your oven. The original recipe called for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours but I kept an eye on the cake after 1 hour 15 mins and checked it every 20 mins thereafter. When the skewer inserted inside comes out clean the cake is done.
- Remove and leave the cake to cool overnight in its tin on a wire rack. Next day, remove from the tin and peel off the parchment
Feeding the Cake
- If you wish to feed the cake in the runup to Christmas, then place the cake upside down and poke 5-6 deep holes using a wooden skewer. Pour 1/2 teaspoon of whiskey into each of the holes.
- Cover the cake well with parchment paper or cling film/saran wrap and place in an airtight box
- Repeat the process every 10 days for at least 4 weeks for best results (feeding to be done only once in 10 days and not daily!)
- When you are ready to serve, ice the cake with marzipan (recipe to follow) and serve!
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap
Hey Sherin,
thats a gud one… Will share it on fb….perfect executn
Thank you so much Shireen for this precious recipe.It is super. I made it today with some changes in the fruits. Added dates, cranberries tutti frutti. Just summed up to the total amt of fruits.It took me around2-1/2 to 3 hrs.The house is filled with a wonderful aroma right now.I do have some recipes for fruit cake but this one beat's them all. Now I will follow only this recipe. Also I did not have irish liquor so I added Rum.Thank you once again.
Shireen , I wanted to know since I am in Mumbai do I now keep the cake on the kitchen counter in an airtight box or in the fridge?
@ Shubha: Actually with so much of alcohol in it you should be able to keep it at room temperature (in a cool part of your kitchen) or move the cake to an AC room. But if you have exceptionally hot weather then you can refrigerate it
Shireen, could you please give me an alternate to Irish Whiskey? Like can i use any other normal whiskey or single malt whiskey's??
@ Karina: You can substitute with any whisky. Most whiskeys are made in the UK. I used a Scotch whiskey (Black Label) – you can use whatever is available
Thanks Shireen. I tried baking this cake last week and has come out yummy, the taste of fruit mix with light feel of alcohol was great. Although I managed to get the lower portion a bit more charred…but it was ok as I cut the lower base line. I am happy with the overall result…
so no baking powder or baking soda? or did i miss it? i checked twice for it
None at all 🙂
Hi shireen, good recipe and I wanted to try today. Please, can you tell me whether should I use baking powder or baking soda for this traditional irish cake recipe. That ingredients is not mentioned, so I am confused. Thanks
Hi Shanthi, this recipe doesnt require any of the two. So please go ahead with the recipe as it is
Hey Shireen, what a wonderful recipe. Tried it for Christmas and it was a lovely experience baking it and enjoying all the compliments. This is a definite keeper. Thanks for sharing it!! With all the pictures, makes it easy to follow.
Thanks a lot for your feedback Elsa! Glad to know that the recipe worked for you 🙂
Hi Shireen, what brand of golden syrup do you recommend?
Hi Shaila,
I rarely use golden syrup. Could find only ‘Silver Spoon’ brand of golden syrup at the Lulu supermarket. You could try Lyle’s Golden Syrup too
Substitute of eggg.. Plz
You can use flaxseed powder mixed in water or 1/2 cup of mashed bananas for every egg used in this recipe
Hi Shireen,
Can the dry fruits be soaked for more than 24 hours? Like say 2 weeks or a month prior to making this?
Hi Jovita
Yes, ofcourse! You can refrigerate the soaked fruit mix for best results
Hi,
Are 4 spoons of alkohol enough for such a huge amount of dried fruits? I have seen recipes using like 330 ml of beer… that is I am wondering.
Hi Alicja,
Yes, the 4 tablespoons of alcohol are enough as we are soaking overnight only and not for many days. Also, there are other ingredients such as orange juice, grated apples etc which will help the dry fruits to absorb moisture and plump up.
Hi Shireen… Can I know what golden syrup is and if there is a substitute for it… Would Love to try this recipe
Hi Virgilia!
Golden syrup is sugar syrup that is caramalised till golden. It can be substituted with honey. Hopefully I will be sharing a recipe soon for this so that you can make your own golden syrup.
Followed your recipe, mostly, and very pleased with the results. I needed to add one extra egg as the mix was too stiff, probably due to my flour/egg size. I used french brandy instead of whiskey which is a personal preference. lastly I split the mix in two into two shallower 9 inch spring form tins, quicker cooking time and means I can share one with my daughter. Great recipe, thank you
Thanks a lot for your great feedback Ken! Happy to know that you enjoyed it so much!! Thanks for letting me know!!
Can i omit mixed candied peel or substitute tutti frutti instead?
Yes you can!
Can you please help me regarding the baking of the cake. I have a gas oven and the minimum temperature is 170 degree C .. how long will I need to bake the cake according to this temperature ?
will the time reduce for baking or I should still bake it for 2 1/2 hrs – 3 hrs
Hi Nish,
I would suggest you to keep an eye out after 1 hr 15 mins…when the cake has browned and the skewer inserted comes out clean you may remove it out. The baking time varies according to the temperature used, size of the oven and the size of the tin used as well.
I baked the cake yesterday and my lower portion was charred i trimmed it off and pour a tbsp of whiskey and wrapped with baking paper and covered with foil.. as im in UAE i kept it in a corner of kitchen for aging.. just wanted to check with you that after cutting off the lower portion will my cake get spoilt?? .. Any recommendation??
No, if you have put the whiskey it should not spoil. If you are still concerned you can cover with cling wrap and keep it in an airtight container.
Is any scope of eggless version?
I will surely post an eggless version whenever I try it out 🙂
Hi, can i use any brand of whiskey?
Hi Maria, yes you can
Have you tried this in individual baking tins or Italian or French paper bakeware with any success? If so, what type of temp/time reduction would you recommend? I think these would make lovely gifts.
Sorry I haven’t tried this recipe in smaller tins…
Can you please tell what I must use instead of almond powder and almonds . I have nuts allergy.
You can simply use flour in the place of the nuts. Just make it with 100% flour I mean
I am just wondering what kind of mixed spices you added to your cake?? I used Allspice and hope it works out
Hi Ann, you can follow this recipe for the mixed spice. All spice will do too
https://www.ruchikrandhap.com/mixed-spice/
Hi,I did not see baking powder .
Hi Allen,
There is no baking powder in this recipe
Hi Shireen,
When I was going through the fruit mix I was hesitant about putting the apples but then went ahead and used them and I don’t regret it . The aroma of the cake while baking is just so so good and it tastes really really yumm too. Thankyou Shireen for sharing this wonderful recipe. Will surely make it again. Thankyou and merry Christmas to you
Thanks a lot for the amazing feedback Smitha! Thanks for the wishes and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas too!
Hi I did your Christmas cake .. I left it 3 hour s to cook . The skewer came ou clean . But when I removed from the pan the bottom (the middle part) is still a bit wet . Like undercooked .. will it still be good to eat ?
Thanks . The smell is amazing .
Ideally it should cook through. I would suggest you let the cake cool completely – this could take 2-3 hours, before cutting it. Once cooled the dampness will ideally go
Love the video. Very well done. Your recipe looks wonderful.
Thank you so much for your appreciation Juliet!
Hi Shireen, can’t wait to try this recipe. Can I add browning sauce to the batter. I don’t really like golden syrup so can I omit that? This cake looks like a sturdy type that won’t be prone to spoil. Just the type i was looking for.. Also can I cut down the butter and flour to 250gm. I won’t need to change the amount for the rest of the ingredients right,as it is only less by 30gm? Thanks
Hi Christina,
Yes you can add browning sauce, this is a very forgiving recipe and you can make the changes, won’t make much of a difference to the final result. Good luck!
Thank you Shireen for your response! i will update you on the outcome when i bake and taste it:)
Sounds great Christina! I look forward to your feedback!