Best Christmas Cake Recipe for a Festive Holiday Celebration

No holiday season is complete without baking a traditional Christmas cake at least once. While there are many festive recipes we enjoy, having a homemade rum or brandy-soaked fruit cake tucked away in the pantry is essential to the Christmas cheer.

Traditional Christmas cake is packed with dried fruits, held together by just enough cake batter. It’s as much about the tradition of making it as it is about eating it. There’s something special about gathering and chopping all those fruits, soaking them, and knowing that the holiday season has truly begun.

The best part? After all that work, we can sneak a slice whenever you need a sweet pick-me-up during the holidays. If you’re feeling generous, share it with loved ones or even leave a slice for Santa. Though, we wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to keep it all for yourself.

This fruit cake is so rich that we can also serve it as Christmas pudding — warm, with custard on top, it makes for the perfect Christmas Day dessert. That should give you an idea of just how moist and delightful it is once baked and matured!

Is one fruit cake recipe ever enough? If you're still looking for the perfect English Christmas fruit cake, check out this article!

Ingredients for the Ultimate Traditional Christmas Cake Recipe

While fruit cake isn’t difficult to make, achieving the perfect traditional Christmas cake recipe requires careful selection of ingredients, especially the fruit and alcohol.

Dried Fruit

The base of your fruit cake should be a variety of dried fruits: sultanas (or golden raisins), currants, and large, juicy raisins. Dates add sweetness and texture, while cherries, pineapple, apricots, and citrus lighten it up. You can adapt the lighter fruits to your taste — over time, I’ve found my perfect blend, but feel free to experiment!

Alcohol or Fruit Juice

To soak the dried fruit, you'll need some alcohol. Brandy or sherry are traditional choices, but I prefer using spiced dark rum. The cake is brushed with more alcohol at the end of baking, and again over the next few weeks, ensuring a moist cake. This also enhances the flavor and helps it store longer. For a unique twist, try orange-flavored liqueurs like Cointreau or triple sec, or even amaretto for a nutty touch.

If you prefer to skip alcohol, you can use orange juice, apple juice, or tea to soak the fruit. Just keep in mind that a non-alcoholic cake won’t last as long and should be stored in the fridge.

Spices and Cake Batter

Flour, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are essential for the batter. Traditional Christmas cakes aren’t heavily spiced, so you only need a modest amount of these warm spices.

Preparing the Traditional Christmas Cake

This cake requires some prep time — not so much in the making, but in the waiting. You’ll need to soak the fruit, then let the cake mature after baking, but trust us, it’s all worth it!

Fruit Soak

The fruit needs to soak for at least a day, though a week is ideal, to allow it to plump up and absorb the alcohol. Keep it at room temperature until you're ready to bake.

Cake Tin Preparation

Prepare your cake pan by cutting parchment paper into triple layers, fitting them to the bottom and sides of the tin. This helps prevent the edges and top of the cake from overcooking.

Cake Mixture

Once the fruit is ready, mix butter, sugar, eggs, and dry ingredients. Add in the soaked fruit and stir well (this mix can get heavy). Transfer the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top.

Baking the Cake

Now, it’s time to bake! Bake the cake in a preheated oven, and for different tin sizes, adjust the baking time. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer to ensure the cake is done; it should reach 206-209°F/97-98°C in the center.

Storing the Cake

Once baked, brush the top of the cake with extra alcohol and let it cool completely in the tin on a wire rack. After it cools, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Let it mature for at least a week, brushing it with extra alcohol weekly for extra moisture.

Decorating Your Cake

For a decorative touch, you can cover the cake with marzipan and smooth royal icing — a traditional British look. If you’re in a rush, royal icing mix only requires water to prepare. Store the decorated cake in an airtight tin in a cool place.

This cake can last for months if stored properly, making it a wonderful treat to share over the holidays. We hope you love making and enjoying this traditional Christmas cake recipe! If you try it, let us know in the comments below.

Instructions for Traditional Christmas Cake:

1. Soak the Fruit: In a large bowl, combine all the dried fruits with brandy. Stir well, then cover and set aside to soak for at least overnight (up to a week), stirring and recovering the mixture each day.

Ingredients:

- 3 cups sultanas

- 1 1/2 cups raisins

- 1 3/4 cups dates

- 1 cup dried currants

- 5 candied orange slices

- 2/3 cup candied cherries

- 1/4 cup chopped candied pineapple

- 1/2 cup chopped candied apricots

- 1/2 cup rum

2. Prepare the Pan: Preheat the oven to 265°F/130°C (or use the Combi Steam setting at 30% steam). Line the base and sides of a deep 9-inch (22 cm) round cake pan with triple-layered parchment paper, extending the paper about 2 inches above the pan.

3. Mix the Batter: In a stand mixer (or using a hand beater), combine butter and brown sugar until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. The mixture may look lumpy, which is normal.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup unsalted butter

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 5 eggs

4. Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices into the butter mixture and stir to combine. Add the soaked fruits and any remaining liquid, mixing well by hand with a wooden spoon.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ground cloves

- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

5. Bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 3 1/2 hours in a conventional oven or 2 hours 45 minutes in a combi steam oven, until the cake is deep brown and firm to the touch.

6. Cool & Store: Brush the hot cake with extra brandy, then cover and let it cool overnight in the pan. Once cooled, turn out the cake, brush with more brandy if desired, wrap well, and store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 months. For best flavor, allow it to mature for at least a few weeks.

Happy Christmas cake baking!