Dessert - Quick and easy christmas cake recipes
Author: John Obrien
This Easy Peasy Christmas Cake is a well tried and tested family recipe that has stood the test of time (several decades in my family). A light, moist Christmas Cake that you can make on Christmas Eve and will keep for 6 weeks.
Easy Christmas cake recipe
This simple, all-in-one easy Christmas cake recipe makes the perfect fruit base for your festive centrepiece and will feed 14-21 people.
Provided by: Jessica Dady
Total time: 195 minutes
Cook time: 180 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yields: 14 servings
Cuisine: Baking
Number of ingredients: 10
Provided by: Jessica Dady
Total time: 195 minutes
Cook time: 180 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yields: 14 servings
Cuisine: Baking
Number of ingredients: 10
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs
- 300g (10oz) plain flour
- 250g (8oz) butter, softened
- 250g (8oz) light muscovado sugar
- 1 tbsp ground mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
- 410g jar of mincemeat
- 500g (1lb) dried mixed fruit
- 4 tbsp brandy
- 20cm (8in) round or 18cm (7in) square cake tin, lined with baking parchment
Nutrition:
- Calories: 311 Kcal
- Sugar: 40.5 g
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
- Sodium: 0.08 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrate: 50.6 g
- To ensure the cake is positioned centrally in the oven, put one of the shelves just below the centre of it. Set the oven to 140°C/280°F/Gas Mark 1.
- Break the eggs into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, except for the brandy. Beat the mixture until smooth, then spoon it into the lined cake tin. With a wet hand, press the mixture into the tin and smooth on top, so that it's level.
- Bake the cake in the centre of the oven for 3 - 3.5 hours, or until the cake feels firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the cake.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack. Leave the cake to cool for about 15 minutes, then spoon over the brandy. Leave it to cool completely in the tin.
- Remove the cake from the tin and peel away the lining paper. Wrap it in clean baking parchment and then foil, and store in a cool place for up to 3 months, until ready to cover with icing and decorate. Follow our guide on how to cover a cake with marzipan.
Christmas Cake Recipe(Quick & Easy) Last minute Xmas
A traditional English
Christmas cake
is made with moist Zante currants, sultanas (golden raisins) and raisins which have been soaked in brandy, rum, whisky o
Quick Christmas Cake
A light, moist Christmas Cake that you can make on Christmas Eve and will keep for 6 weeks.
Provided by: Susie@Everyday Cooks
Total time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 75 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yields: 16 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 14
Provided by: Susie@Everyday Cooks
Total time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 75 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yields: 16 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 14
Ingredients:
- 200 g glacé cherries
- 300 g raisins
- 5 tablespoons brandy ((75ml))
- 50 g candied orange peel
- 2 unwaxed oranges, (zested OR)
- 2 teaspoons orange extract ((10ml))
- 250 g light brown sugar
- 250 g butter
- 5 large eggs
- 275 g plain/all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder ((2.5ml))
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice ((10ml))
- Pinch of salt
- 125 g ground almonds
How to cook:
- Preparation:
- Wash, dry and halve the cherries
- 'Revive' the dried fruit:Put the cherries and raisins in a dish with the brandy. Heat in the microwave on MEDIUM for 3 minutes in total, stirring once or twice. Heat on HIGH for 30 seconds. Leave to stand for 30 minutes if possible
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/ gas mark 4/ 350°F
- Line the base of the tin with a parchment liner. Grease the sides (if it needs it) with butter paper (or a little butter on kitchen paper)
- Finely chop the candied peel. Zest the oranges, if using
- For the cake:
- Put all the ingredients. except the fruit and peel, into a mixer or processor and mix well
- Stir in the dried fruit and chopped candied peel and excess brandy
- Spoon into the cake tin and level the top with the back of the spoon. Make a slight depression in the middle to get a flatter top when it's cooked
- Cook for 1 hour and test with a skewer. If it comes out clean the cake is done, otherwise cook for 10-15 minutes longerIf you need to cook the cook for longer than an hour, cover the top lightly with greasproof paper or foil to stop the top darkening too much
- Take the cake out of the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. If the cake has a very domed surface, immediately run a palette knife around the sides to loosen, put the wire rack over the top of the tin and turn upside down. Leave the tin round the cake for 10-15 minutes, then remove
- If you aren't going to ice the cake immediately, leave the liner on, wrap it in baking parchment and put in an airtight container until you need it.
Easy Peasy Christmas Cake
This Easy Peasy Christmas Cake is a well tried and tested family recipe that has stood the test of time (several decades in my family). It doesn't need feeding and so is suitable to give to kids - if they'll eat it!!
Provided by: Eb Gargano
Total time: 240 minutes
Cook time: 180 minutes
Prep time: 60 minutes
Yields: 30 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 28
Provided by: Eb Gargano
Total time: 240 minutes
Cook time: 180 minutes
Prep time: 60 minutes
Yields: 30 servings
Cuisine: British
Number of ingredients: 28
Ingredients:
- 250 g softened butter
- 250 g light soft brown sugar
- 250 g sultanas
- 250 g seedless raisins
- 250 g currants
- 60 g ground almonds
- 125 g diced mixed peel
- 125 g glace cherries
- 3 large eggs
- 50 ml sherry ((or apple juice if you want to make this alcohol free))
- 1 very heaped tablespoon golden syrup
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- Shredless marmalade or sieved apricot jam
- Ready-rolled marzipan
- Ready-rolled white icing
- Decorations ((optional))
- A large mixing bowl
- Two smaller mixing bowls and a little bowl for the cherries
- A jug
- A 20cm / 8 inch cake tin
- Greaseproof paper
- Brown paper
- Baking sheet
- A skewer
- A cooling wire
Nutrition:
- Calories: 241 kcal
- Carbohydrate: 40 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 34 mg
- Sodium: 76 mg
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 24 g
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Preparation
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, ground almonds and spices.
- Wash the sultanas, raisins and currants and place in a third bowl together with the chopped mixed peel.
- Rinse and dry the cherries. Place in a small bowl and dust with a little flour (to stop them sinking in the cake).
- In a jug, mix the eggs, golden syrup and sherry (or apple juice).
- Line the base and sides of a 20cm / 8inch cake tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper, having greased the tin first. Make sure the paper which lines the sides stands 7cm above the rim of the tin.
- To ensure the cake does not have a hard base, line a baking sheet with 4 layers of thick brown paper.
- Preheat your oven to 165C / 145C fan / gas mark 3 / 325F.
- Assembly
- Add a handful (or large spoonful) of flour to the creamed butter and sugar. Then add a small amount of the egg mixture and a handful of the fruit mixture and work together well, ideally with your hands (but you could do it with a wooden spoon if you don’t fancy the idea of getting your hands messy).
- Repeat this process until all the ingredients are well mixed, then finally add the cherries and mix again.
- Put the mixture in the prepared tin and flatten down evenly.
- Baking
- Place the cake tin on the prepared baking sheet and put into your preheated oven for 1 hour.
- Reduce the heat to 150C / 130 fan / gas mark 2 / 300F and cook for a second hour.
- Cover with a little hat of greaseproof paper and bake for a third hour.
- Remove from the oven and check it is cooked properly by inserting a skewer – the skewer should be clean when removed.
- After Baking
- Trim the greaseproof paper back to the level of the tin’s rim and place on a cooling wire upside down still in its tin.
- Leave until completely cold (ideally the next day).
- Slide the cake out, wrap securely with foil and store in a cake tin until Christmas.
- Icing (optional)
- Cover the entire cake in warmed shredless marmalade (or sieved apricot jam).
- Place the ready-rolled marzipan onto the cake and gently smooth down the sides. Trim off any excess. Lightly cover and leave for 1-2 days, ideally.
- Lightly brush the marzipan with water and place the ready-rolled icing on top of the cake. Gently smooth down the sides and trim off any excess.
- Decorate if desired.
Easy Christmas Cake Recipe
You can't go wrong with this easy Christmas Cake recipe! Both regular and Thermomix instructions included.
Provided by: Lauren
Total time: 1560 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Yields: 2 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Number of ingredients: 13
Provided by: Lauren
Total time: 1560 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes
Yields: 2 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Number of ingredients: 13
Ingredients:
- 1 kg dried mixed fruit
- 1 cup blanched almonds - roughly chopped (140 grams)
- 2/3 cup sherry/brandy or orange juice
- 250 g butter (softened)
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (240 grams)
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups plain flour (300 grams)
- 1/2 cup self raising flour (75 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Nutrition:
- Calories: 3146 kcal
- Carbohydrate: 635 g
- Protein: 62 g
- Fat: 52 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 341 mg
- Sodium: 379 mg
- Fiber: 60 g
- Sugar: 420 g
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Place the mixed fruit, chopped almonds and sherry into a container and give it a good stir to ensure all the fruit and almonds are coated with sherry. Place a lid on the container and leave for 24 hours.
- When you are ready to make your Christmas cake, line the base and sides of 2 x 15cm cake tins with baking paper and preheat your oven to 160 degrees.
- Sift the flours and spices together into a bowl and set aside until needed.
- Place the softened butter and brown sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix for 5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the strawberry jam and vanilla extract and mix for a minute to combine.
- Add the eggs one at a time making sure you mix each egg in well before adding the next. If your mixture starts to split, add a spoonful of your sifted flours to it.
- With your mixer on a very low speed (or alternatively you can do this step by hand) add the fruit and flour mixture alternatively and mix until combined.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared tins and lightly smooth the surface. I like to create a small indent in the centre of the cake (no more than 5mm) to ensure a flat surface. You can also decorate your cake with almonds at the point if you wish.
- Place your cakes in the oven and set the time for 1 1/4 hours. When the timer goes off, place a piece of foil over the tops of your cakes to prevent them from over browning. Test your cakes and cook for a further 20 minutes or until soft crumbs appear when testing with a skewer.
- Remove your Christmas cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the tin, simply wrap them in a tea towel.
- Once the cakes are completely cool, cut and enjoy!
- Thermomix Instructions
- Place the mixed fruit, chopped almonds and sherry into a container and give it a good stir to ensure all the fruit and almonds are coated with sherry. Place a lid on the container and leave for 24 hours.
- When you are ready to make your Christmas cake, line the base and sides of 2 x 15cm cake tins with baking paper and preheat your oven to 160 degrees.
- Place the butter into the Thermomix and mix for 30 seconds on speed 3. Scrape down the sides of your Thermomix bowl and mix again for 10 seconds on speed 3.
- Add the brown sugar to your Thermomix bowl and mix for 30 seconds, speed 4.
- Scrape down the sides of your bowl and add the vanilla extract and strawberry jam and mix on 30 seconds, speed 5.
- Add the eggs and a tablespoon of flour one at a time into your Thermomix bowl and beat for 5 seconds on speed 5 each time.
- Add the remaining flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice to your Thermomix bowl and mix for 20 seconds, speed 5.
- Add the soaked Mixed Fruit and gently fold through using your spatula.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared tins and lightly smooth the surface. I like to create a small indent in the centre of the cake (no more than 5mm) to ensure a flat surface. You can also decorate your cake with almonds at the point if you wish.
- Place your cakes in the oven and set the time for 1 1/4 hours. When the timer goes off, place a piece of foil over the tops of your cakes to prevent them from over browning. Test your cakes and cook for a further 20 minutes or until soft crumbs appear when testing with a skewer.
- Remove your Christmas cakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the tin, simply wrap them in a tea towel.Once the cakes are completely cool, cut and enjoy!
