What is your never-fail, bestest ever Christmas cake recipe please? Mum used to make ours but since her death we havent had one (obviously!!!) and now my girls want to make one. Help please :)

bombaloo - 2010-12-19 14:22:00

Do you have your mother's recipe book anywhere? Or a printed book with a spattered Christmas Cake page?

annie.nz - 2010-12-19 15:13:00

I have been using this xmas cake recipe for years and never had a failure :)

3pkts goldpack fruit mix , 1/2 tsp salt,
2cups water , 1 tblsp golden syrup,
2 cups brown sugar , 3 eggs,
250 grams butter , 2 tblsp sherry,
1tsp mixed spice , 3 cups flour,
1tsp baking soda , 2 tsp Baking powder,

Combine fruit, water, brown sugar, butter, spice, soda and golden syrup in a large saucepan. Bring to boil with stirring and simmer covered fro 10 mins.
Allow to cool, with occasional stirring. When cold add the well beaten eggs and sherry. Mix well and fold in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Place into a well greased and lined 23 cm square cake tine and bake at 160c for aout 2 1/2 - 3 hours

Edited by kimmie1 at 3:36 pm, Sun 19 Dec

kimmie1 - 2010-12-19 15:35:00

This is my favourite which my mother used for all our birthday and Christmas cakes.
FRUIT CAKE
In a large bowl place 900g mixed fruit, 800g Flour, & 3 t baking powder. Mix well. In another bowl cream 175g butter, 250g sugar, 1 1/2 T golden syrup. Then add 4 large eggs, lemon ess, 3 t mixed spice, 3/4 t cinnamon and mix well. Add milk to mix if necessary. Add wet ingreds to dry. Place in well greased 23 cm tin and bake about 160 for approx 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

kevpat - 2010-12-19 17:17:00

the Edmonds one is the one I bake and everyone loves it

kiwibubbles - 2010-12-19 17:50:00

Here is a real easy one that tastes great. Soak 1 kilo of mixed fruit in 1 cup of cold strong black coffee. Leave fro 12 hrs then add I king size bar of chocolate (200-250g) chopped and 2 cups SR flour. Bake at 160c for about 1hr. You can substitute brandy etc for some of the coffee if you wish.

mikes-one - 2010-12-19 18:12:00

My husband is a real fruit cake nut so I thought I would try the 4 ingrediants cook book fruit cake. Well he loves it.

1 kg of mixed fruit
2 cups of orange juice or tea (I used freshly 1 1/2 C squeezed orange juice topped up with water and a bit sugar to sweeten it)
2 cups self raising flour
2 eggs - not in recipe but I think they are needed
2 T spoons of brandy or sherry (I used brandy)

Soak the fuit in the juice for 2 hours (I did 24). Mix all the remaining ingrediants together and put into prepared tin. Cook at 125 degrees at the bottom of the oven for 2 hours. Cool and wrap in tin foil and leave for 2 days before cutting (not sure why but I did it anyway).

I gave my girlfriend and her husband a taste of this cake and they loved it so much the copied the recipe. It is so simple but tasty (I don't eat fruit cake so I have to go by what they said).

tinkagirl - 2010-12-19 18:55:00

christmas cake anyone?

bev00 - 2011-12-19 23:29:00

This message was deleted.

cookessentials - 2011-12-20 06:52:00

isn't it a bit late to bake the best ever cake now? The best once need maturing for 2 month.

lilyfield - 2011-12-20 07:38:00

If you want to make a small easy cake, the recipe on the back of the Tasti Mixed Fruit packet is a good one. I used chopped dried apricots in place of peel...it has risen well and looks great......the proof is in the gobbing though!!!

rainrain1 - 2011-12-20 08:20:00

We never gob our fruity cake
Till after xmas dinner
The reason is because you see
We expand while it gets thinner

rainrain1 - 2011-12-20 08:28:00

some good ones ..

bev00 - 2012-12-20 00:15:00

My husband loves fruit cake. I found this recipe 2 years ago on this site.
1 kg of mixed fruit
2 cups of orange juice or tea.
2 cups self raising flour. Or 2 Cups plain flour (add 4 tspn baking powder).
2 Teaspoons of mixed spice.
Soak the fuit in the juice for 24 hours.
Sift the dry ingrediants, then mix into the soaked fruit, and put into prepared tin.
Cook at 125 degrees at the bottom of the oven for 2 hours. After the first hour, I cover the cake with foil and put back in the oven as I noticed the top cooks a bit to much if left uncovered the whole time. Cool and store in air tight container.
All our friends love this cake and I make it each year but divide into little baking tins when baking so as to make small cakes for gifts.
I keep an eye on the cakes when making the small ones as they cook faster than one big cake.

69-camaro - 2012-12-20 09:54:00

Bumping for the season......................

floralsun - 2013-12-19 22:08:00

Alison Holst has an amazing recipe. It's the one with crushed pineapple in it. It turns out perfect every year without fail. IF you want you can soak your mixed fruit overnight in brandy which is really yummy!

macandrosie - 2013-12-20 20:54:00

has anyone got one that's really dark and moist fruit cake recipe

slimgym - 2013-12-21 08:21:00

Here's my favourite one makes a dark moist cake which keeps very very well.
750g of mixed dried fruit soaked in 100ml of either brandy, whisky or pure orange juice. (you can use more liquid if desired). Stand this mix for at least 24hours but longer better and give it a stir every so often.
When ready to make cake: Cream 200g butter with 115g brown sugar.
Stir in 1tsp each of lemon and orange rind, 1Tbsp maramalade, 1Tbsp orange juice, ¼ tsp almond essence and 1tsp vanilla essence.
Melt 65g dark chocolate and add to mixture along with 2 large eggs.
Sift 1¼ cups plain flour, 1tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp each of mace and nutmeg fold into mixture with the fruit.
Spoon into a 20cm prepared cake tin, level the top and if desired decorate with 20 whole blanched almonds.
Bake at 140C for 4-4½ hours it may take less time so check after 3 hours.
In a slightly smaller tin it will may a very deep cake. I haven't made this for a couple of years as we don't eat enough fruit cake to warrant making.

cgvl - 2013-12-21 10:21:00

macandrosie wrote:

Alison Holst has an amazing recipe. It's the one with crushed pineapple in it. It turns out perfect every year without fail. IF you want you can soak your mixed fruit overnight in brandy which is really yummy!

+1
Would agree, I have baked this cake for the past few years........I pour the brandy over the hot cake. I pride myself on my baking, but am still amazed how this cake turns out perfect every time. I always ice it with brandy buttercream icing (Jo Seager) .............just yummmmm

figjamto - 2013-12-21 12:53:00

slimgym wrote:

has anyone got one that's really dark and moist fruit cake recipe

Dark rich fruit cake

To make one large 24cm Square cake

1.5 kg mixed dried fruit including sultanas, raisins, currants, cranberries

500 gm butter

385 gm brown sugar

8 eggs

1 tbls golden syrup

4 tbls blackcurrant jam

500 gm standard flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Half tsp salt

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Quarter cup brandy or rum

Place the mixed fruit in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well, cool, cover and stand overnight.

Preheat oven to 150 C. Line a 24 cm squared cake tin with several layers of greaseproof paper.

Beat butter and sugar until smooth but not light and airy. Drop in eggs one at a time to incorporate. Do not be alarmed if mixture appears 'split'. Add golden syrup and jam and mix in.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Add the flour mix and fruit mix in small batches, alternating between the two until all combined.

Tip the batter into prepared tin.

Bake for 2 to 3 hours or until firm to the touch and skewer comes out clean. Pour alcohol over while still warm.

Cool then store in an air tight container for two weeks to mature

bev00 - 2013-12-30 23:53:00

only 360 days to go ...

bev00 - 2014-12-30 23:27:00

When making your christmas cake, why do most recipes call for brown sugar. Do you use white sugar?

korbo - 2014-12-31 12:59:00

I made Gardies Christmas cake from another thread which is highly rated. It was nice but I needed to foil the top to avoid burning. I also made the cake box one and preferred Gardies. Could have been the different brands or amounts of fruit, as Gardies was chunkier. I think I guessed amounts for Gardies as my cake box was bigger as well.

wendalls - 2015-01-12 19:44:00

recycling for the next one ..

bev00 - 2016-01-12 23:28:00

recycling - too good to lose

bev00 - 2017-01-12 00:22:00

I see you posted January 12th. Are you still wanting a "Christmas" cake recipe? I have used Allison Holst's recipe for many years. It has crushed pineapple in it & it's the best I've made. Tried & true!

macandrosie - 2017-01-16 15:17:00

Xmas cake page 329 from 'A Good Spread' recipe book...

rainrain1 - 2017-01-16 17:44:00

bump

bev00 - 2018-01-16 02:10:00

korbo wrote:

When making your christmas cake, why do most recipes call for brown sugar. Do you use white sugar?

Apparently it makes a darker richer cake or so I've been told. I tend to use white sugar as generally I never have brown in the house. We use very little sugar ie 5kg a year max. unless I am jam and chutney making.

cgvl - 2018-01-17 13:10:00

macandrosie wrote:

Alison Holst has an amazing recipe. It's the one with crushed pineapple in it. It turns out perfect every year without fail. IF you want you can soak your mixed fruit overnight in brandy which is really yummy!

+ 1

I have been making this cake for a few years, and have tried others in between, this has to be the best, beautiful moist and would have to agree it turns out perfectly every time...no fail and indeed very yummy, iced with brandy buttercream ...even better

figjamto - 2018-01-17 18:35:00

Here you go: Louise's Rich Xmas Cake
1.4kg mixed fruit
150-200g glace cherries
125mls Orange juice or whisky or brandy (I usually just cover the fruit with a mixture of whisky and orange juice so closer to 500mls)
400g butter
225g sugar (white or brown)
1tsp each of lemon and orange rinds
1Tbsp extra of orange juice
1tsp of vanilla essence
¼ tsp almond essence
2Tbsp Marmalade (I like ginger)
125g dark chocolate (I use 70%+)
4 large eggs size 7 or 8
350g plain flour
1tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp each of nutmeg and mace 9I use ½ tsp nutmeg)
Soak fruit in orange juice for at least 24 hours.
Cream butter and sugar, stir in rinds, extra orange juice, essences and marmalade.
Melt chocolate, cool and stir into mixture. Add eggs. Sift dry ingredients and fold in with fruits.
Spoon into prepared tin (says 8" but I tend to use 2x 8" tins) level top.
Cook for 4-4½ hours at 140C.
It does make a very deep cake, hence I do 2 cakes.
If you are only going to soak fruit for 24 hours use 125mls liquid otherwise it will be a very wet cake.

Edited by cgvl at 11:43 am, Thu 14 Sep

Quote
cgvl (22 22 positive feedback) 11:40 am, Thu 14 Sep #10

bev00 - 2018-09-12 01:21:00

Bump - someone in the cup measures thread wanted my fruit cake recipe and it is at #14 in this thread

sarahb5 - 2019-07-14 17:43:00