Mum made her Christmas cake 6-8 weeks before Christmas Day. The following weeks went to maturing the cake with a weekly sprinkle of rum. We all looked forward to the first slice of Christmas cake with coffee or a port wine when we got back home from midnight mass.

This is my version for Christmas 2021.

Soaking the fruit

This can be done just after Christmas or during the summer so the fruit has time to soak. Find a large clean, dry wide-mouthed jar with an airtight cover.

You need approx. 1.1 kg fruit and some rum or whisky.

500 gms raisins

60 gms cherries – chopped

400 gms currants

200 gms sultanas – chopped since they are often quite big

3-4 tbsp alcohol (rum / whisky)

Mix all the fruit in the jar and add the alcohol. Close the jar and shake well.

Keep the jar on its side in a cool place away from sunlight. Shake the jar and leave it on its side once again. Repeat this every few days. If the fruit look dry after the first few turns, add 2-3 tbsp alcohol to the jar.

Cake spice

Take an equal weight of each e.g. 20gms – Cinnamon + cardamom + nutmeg + cloves
Grind to a fine powder and store in a airtight jar- use as needed, even for cooking.

Baking day

250 gms plain flour

2 tsp cake spice 

60 gms ground almond / almond flour

225 gms soft butter – the butter should be at room temperature

225 gms dark brown sugar

1 tbsp dark treacle / dark syrup

4  eggs – lightly beaten – keep the eggs out a few hours before to get them to room temperature

Weigh out all the ingredients

Empty the soaked fruit into a big bowl & add 2-3 tbsp flour from the measured flour. Mix well and leave for 30 mins.

Heat the oven – top + bottom heat to 140C.

Prepare your baking tin ( round tins are better but rectangular / square will work ) with 2 – 3 layers of grease proof paper covering the base & around the sides. This is important to avoid the sides from burning as the cake cooks.

Add all the other ingredients to the bowl & mix slowly with a wooden spoon.

When mixed, spoon the batter into the baking tin and bake the cake in the oven -using the lower part of the oven.

Leave the oven untouched for 2.5 hours. Do not open the oven to prevent he fruit sinking in the soft batter.

Check the colour after 2.5 hours and leave for another 30 mins (total 3 hours) before opening the oven to check. Use a thin wooden skewer to test the cake. Poke the skewer into the middle of the cake. It should come out dry.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave for 30 mins. After that you can remove the cake from the tin and leave it to cool on a wire rack.

Once completely cooled, you can wrap it in foil and place in an airtight tin / cake box.

To mature the fruit cake, prick all over the top of the cake gently  with a toothpick.

Pour 1 dl of rum  / whisky slowly over the cake and leave it to soak in.  Repeat this process every few days, approx.. 3-4 times before Christmas.  Remember to wrap the cake in foil & store in the cake tin after each round.