Name: Traditional Christmas cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 195 min
Yield: 8-10
Ingredients: Cake:; Melted butter, for greasing; 500g pitted prunes, chopped; 375g raisins, chopped; 375g currants; 375g sultanas; 1 cup brandy; 250g butter; 1 cup dark brown sugar; 3 tsp vanilla extract; 4 eggs; 1⁄2 cup plum or cherry jam; Finely grated zest of 1 large orange; 2 cups plain flour; 1⁄2 cup self-raising flour; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tsp mixed spice; 1 tsp ground nutmeg; 1 tsp ground cloves; 1⁄2 cup orange juice; 3 glacé cherries; 1 cup blanched almonds; Extra 2 Tbsp brandy; White chocolate leaves:; 80g white chocolate; Brandy butter frosting:; 125g butter, softened; 11⁄2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted; 2 Tbsp brandy

You’ll jingle all the way with this recipe! The beauty of it is, it makes one big cake for your family, as well as three littlies for gifts. Done and done!

After more edible Christmas gifts to make?

Ingredients

Cake:

Melted butter, for greasing

500g pitted prunes, chopped

375g raisins, chopped

375g currants

375g sultanas

1 cup brandy

250g butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

1⁄2 cup plum or cherry jam

Finely grated zest of 1 large orange

2 cups plain flour

1⁄2 cup self-raising flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1⁄2 cup orange juice

3 glacé cherries

1 cup blanched almonds

Extra 2 Tbsp brandy

White chocolate leaves:

80g white chocolate

Brandy butter frosting:

125g butter, softened

11⁄2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp brandy

Method

Grease the base and sides of a deep 18cm square cake tin and 3 x 9cm square cake tins with butter and line with baking paper. Combine prune, raisin, currant, sultana, and brandy in a large bowl. Cover and stand for 2 hours, or overnight if time permits.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Put butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until mixture is light and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add jam and zest and beat until combined.

Add butter mixture to fruit and, using a large metal spoon, stir to combine. Sift flours and spices over fruit mixture and fold to combine. Add orange juice and stir until mixture is almost smooth.

Spoon 4 cups of the mixture into large prepared tin. Spoon 2 cups of the mixture into each small tin. Smooth surface of cakes with back of a wet spoon. Tap tins gently on a flat surface to settle mixture and remove air pockets. Lightly press 1 cherry and 12 almonds into top of each small cake

Wrap 2 layers of brown paper around each tin and secure with kitchen twine. Bake small cakes for 1 hour and large cake for 2-21⁄4 hours or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Pour extra brandy over hot cakes. Cool completely in tins.

Meanwhile, to make leaves, put chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Spread on a sheet of baking paper and allow to cool for 10 minutes or until just set. Use a small sharp knife to cut leaves from chocolate. Set aside.

To make frosting, put butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy. With motor running, add icing sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition until light and creamy. Stir in brandy. Spread frosting over large cake, top with leaves. Serve.

Cook’s notes:

You’ll need to leave it standing overnight before baking.
To store these cakes, wrap them securely, undecorated, in two layers of plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one year. Additioanlly Christmas cake can also be frozen.

History of Christmas cake

Christmas cake is an English traidition that began as plum porridge, and somewhere along the line the tradition has turned into a cake. Typically made with raisins, sultanas and currants soaked in rum, this traidional Christmas cake features all of those and more. Serve the cake as it is or top with delcious brandy butter icing.

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