Rum & Raisins Christmas Cake Homemade Recipe

Here’s a classic Christmas cake recipe that you can try at home:

Ingredients:

For the fruit mixture:

• 175g (6 oz) raisins
• 350g (12 oz) mixed dried fruit (such as currants, sultanas, and glacé cherries)
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 150ml (5 fl oz) brandy or other alcohol

For the cake:

• 250g (9 oz) softened butter
• 200g (7 oz) light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g (6 oz) self-raising flour
• 100g (3 ½ oz) ground almonds
• ½ tsp ground baking powder
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 100g (3 ½ oz) flaked almonds

For the marzipan:

• 225g (8 oz) almond paste
• 225g (8 oz) icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp water

For the icing:

• 450g (1 lb) icing sugar
• 100g (3 ½ oz) softened butter
• 3-4 tbsp water

Instructions:

1. Soak the fruit: Place the raisins, mixed dried fruit, orange zest, lemon zest, and brandy in a large bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to soak for at least 24 hours, or up to a week.
2. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Grease and line a 23cm (9-inch) round cake tin.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, mixed spice, cinnamon, and cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in the flaked almonds.
5. Drain the soaked fruit mixture, reserving the brandy. Add the fruit mixture to the cake batter and mix until evenly distributed.
6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 2 ½-3 hours, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. While the cake is baking, make the marzipan. Knead together the almond paste, icing sugar, and water until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the marzipan in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
8. When the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then, transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Once the cake is completely cool, make the icing. In a large bowl, beat together the icing sugar, softened butter, and water until a smooth and thick icing forms.
10. To ice the cake, spread a thin layer of icing over the top of the cake to seal in the crumbs. Roll out the marzipan on a lightly floured surface to a circle slightly larger than the cake. Place the marzipan over the top of the cake and trim the edges.
11. Spread the remaining icing over the marzipan, then decorate the cake as desired. You can use traditional Christmas decorations, such as holly berries, Christmas tree cutouts, or silver dragees.
12. Allow the icing to set completely before serving.

Tips:

• For a richer flavor, you can use dark rum or bourbon instead of brandy.
• If you don’t have marzipan, you can cover the cake with royal icing instead.
• To keep the cake moist, you can feed it with brandy or other alcohol every few weeks.

Enjoy your delicious Christmas cake!