Christmas Cake Recipe
This beautiful fluted Christmas cake recipe is perfect for anyone looking for a last minute bake. Quick and easy to make compared to the traditional Christmas cake and just as delicious.
Ingredients
- Cake
- 200g sultanas
- 100g raisins
- 50g currants
- 50g dried apricots
- 50g glacé cherries
- 50g candied peel
- Grated zest and juice of an orange, plus extra orange juice to make the volume up to 250ml
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 200ml Pure Maple Syrup, Amber Rich
- 4 eggs
- 225g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100g walnuts, chopped
- Icing
- 100g icing sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the dried fruit. Wash the cherries to prevent them sticking together and cut them into quarters. Cut the apricots into a similar size. Add all the dried fruit to a medium saucepan with the orange juice and cook over a medium to low heat for about 5 minutes until the fruit is plump. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease a fluted cake tin and dust with flour.
- Using a mixer, beat the softened butter until pale and creamy. Slowly add the maple syrup while continuing to beat.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
- Whisk the eggs in another bowl. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and maple mixture, alternating with the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the prepared fruit, orange zest, and chopped walnuts. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from the tin.
- To make the icing, mix the icing sugar and water until thick, then drizzle over the cooled cake.