This Christmas cake recipe Australia style is one you make well before the big day. You soak the fruit, bake it low and slow, then give it a little splash of brandy every week until Christmas. By the time you cut into it, it’s dark, moist and packed with flavour.
It’s not hard, it just takes a bit of planning. Start in early November and you’re right on time. It makes one 22 cm round cake, which cuts into about 20 slices.
Running late? No stress. There’s a quicker option further down, and a boiled fruit cake you can make the week before.
Table of Contents
Your Christmas cake countdown
A Christmas cake is a rich fruit cake that gets better the longer it sits. Here’s when to do each job so it’s ready on the day.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Late October or early November | Soak the fruit in brandy |
| A few days to a week later | Bake the cake, cool it and wrap it |
| Once a week after that | Feed it with a tablespoon of brandy |
| About 1 week before Christmas | Stop feeding. Add marzipan if you’re icing it. |
| 2 or 3 days before Christmas | Ice it or add the glazed fruit and nut top |
Starting in December? Bake it at least 2 weeks out and feed it twice a week instead of once. It won’t be quite as deep in flavour, but it’ll still be a cracker.
Soaking the fruit
This is the step that makes the cake. The fruit drinks up the brandy, goes plump and soft, and keeps the cake moist for weeks.
- Use a big glass or ceramic bowl and give it a stir every day or so.
- Soak it overnight at the very least. Two days to a week is even better.
- Keep it covered with a plate or cling wrap, in a cool spot out of the sun.
- No brandy? Use orange juice or cold black tea. The cake won’t keep as long, so make it closer to Christmas and store it in the fridge.
Lining the tin and baking it slow
Fruit cake bakes for a long time, so the outside needs protecting while the middle cooks through. Two layers of baking paper on the base and sides do the job.
| Tin | Bake at 140°C fan-forced |
|---|---|
| 22 cm round (this recipe) | 3 to 3 1/2 hours |
| 20 cm square | 3 to 3 1/2 hours |
| Two 15 cm rounds, for gifting | 2 to 2 1/2 hours |
Spread the batter out, smooth the top, then tap the tin on the bench a couple of times to knock out any air pockets. A shallow dip in the middle helps it bake flat instead of doming.
If the top is browning too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it for the last hour. It’s done when a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. A few sticky crumbs from the fruit are fine.
Traditional Christmas Cake
Course: Dessert, ChristmasCuisine: AustralianDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcal1
hour10
minutesA rich, dark Christmas cake made with brandy soaked fruit, baked low and slow and fed with brandy each week until Christmas. Makes one 22 cm cake.
Ingredients
- Soaked fruit
1 kg mixed dried fruit
200 g red glace cherries, halved
1/2 cup (125 ml) brandy, plus extra for feeding
- Cake
250 g butter, softened
1 cup (220 g) firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 1/2 cups (225 g) plain flour
1/2 cup (75 g) self-raising flour
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
- Top
1/2 cup blanched almonds (optional)
Directions
- Mix the dried fruit, cherries and brandy in a large bowl. Cover and leave to soak for at least one night, or up to a week, stirring every day or so.
- Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius fan-forced (150 degrees Celsius conventional). Grease a deep 22 cm round tin and line the base and sides with two layers of baking paper, standing about 5 cm above the rim.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then mix in the marmalade.
- Sift the plain flour, self-raising flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt over the butter mixture. Add the soaked fruit and any leftover brandy, then stir with a big wooden spoon until well mixed.
- Spoon the batter into the tin and press it in firmly. Smooth the top, make a shallow dip in the middle and tap the tin on the bench to knock out air. Press the almonds on top in a pattern if using.
- Bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Cover the top loosely with foil if it browns too quickly.
- Brush 2 tablespoons of brandy over the hot cake. Cover the tin with a clean tea towel and leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
- Lift out the cake, leaving the paper on. Wrap it well in more baking paper and then foil, and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot. Feed it with 1 tablespoon of brandy each week until Christmas.
Notes
- Soak longer if you can: two days to a week gives plumper fruit and a moister cake.
- Low and slow: keep the oven at 140°C fan-forced. A hotter oven burns the outside before the middle is cooked.
- Alcohol free: soak the fruit in orange juice or cold black tea, skip the feeding and keep the cake in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Leave the paper on: it helps keep the cake moist while it’s stored.
Feeding your cake
Feeding just means brushing a little brandy over the cake every week. It keeps it moist, deepens the flavour and helps it last.
| Week | What to do |
|---|---|
| Bake day | 2 tablespoons over the hot cake |
| Each week after | Poke a few holes with a skewer, brush on 1 tablespoon, then rewrap |
| Last week before Christmas | Stop feeding so the top dries out a bit for icing |
Don’t go overboard. Too much brandy makes the cake soggy and boozy. One tablespoon a week is plenty.
Christmas cake troubleshooting
The fruit sank to the bottom.
The batter was too soft, usually from butter that was too warm. Use butter that’s soft but not melting, and stir the fruit through well so it’s coated in the flour mix.
It’s dry.
It baked too long or too hot. Check it from 3 hours, and keep feeding it with brandy. Most dry cakes come good after a couple of feeds.
The top or edges burnt.
The oven ran hot or the tin wasn’t double-lined. Use two layers of paper and cover the top with foil once it’s nicely brown.
It’s raw in the middle.
Pop it back in for another 15 to 20 minutes and test again. Every oven is a bit different.
The top cracked or domed.
That’s normal for fruit cake and it gets covered by icing anyway. A shallow dip in the batter before baking helps it bake flatter.
How to finish it
Marzipan and white icing
The classic look. About a week before Christmas, brush the cake with warm apricot jam and lay a rolled sheet of marzipan over the top and sides. Leave it to dry for a few days, then cover it with ready-to-roll white icing.
Glazed fruit and nut top
Easier and just as pretty. Press almonds or pecans and halved glace cherries onto the cake before baking. Once it’s cool, warm a few spoons of apricot jam and brush it over the top for a shiny glaze.
Storing and gifting
Keep the cake wrapped in baking paper, then foil, in an airtight tin somewhere cool and dark. Fed with brandy, it keeps for 2 to 3 months. Once it’s cut, it’s good for another few weeks.
It also freezes well, wrapped tightly, for up to a year. For gifts, bake two 15 cm cakes instead of one big one, wrap them in baking paper and tie them with string or ribbon.
Christmas cake or boiled fruit cake?
| Christmas cake (this recipe) | Boiled fruit cake | |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit | Soaked in brandy for days | Simmered in a pot for a few minutes |
| Make it | 4 to 8 weeks ahead | A few days to a week ahead |
| Texture | Dense, rich and dark | Soft and moist |
| Extra steps | Weekly feeding, optional icing | None |
Short on time this year? Try our boiled fruit cake recipe. It’s made in one pot and you can bake it the week before Christmas.
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Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I make this Christmas cake recipe?
Four to eight weeks before Christmas is ideal. Start soaking the fruit in late October or early November and feed the cake once a week after baking.
Can I make Christmas cake without alcohol?
Yes. Soak the fruit in orange juice or cold black tea and skip the feeding. Keep it in the fridge and eat it within about 2 weeks.
Why did my fruit sink to the bottom?
The batter was too soft, often from butter that was too warm. Use softened butter, not melted, and mix the fruit through well.
Do I have to feed my Christmas cake?
No, but it helps. A tablespoon of brandy each week keeps the cake moist and makes it taste richer.
What size tin does this Christmas cake recipe need?
A deep 22 cm round tin or a 20 cm square tin. You can also bake two 15 cm cakes for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
This Christmas cake recipe Australia style just needs a bit of time on your side. Soak the fruit, bake it slow, feed it each week, and it’ll be the star of the Christmas table.
Merry Christmas,
Ella x
