Delia Smith Christmas Cake Recipe
Delia Smith Christmas Cake Recipe is a traditional British fruit cake featuring soaked dried fruits, warm spices, and a rich, buttery batter. Slowly baked for several hours, it develops deep flavor and moist texture. Regularly feeding the cake with brandy enhances taste and keeps it soft, creating a classic festive treat full of holiday charm.
Equipment
- 20 cm (8-inch) deep round cake tin
- Parchment paper and baking parchment for lining
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium bowl for fruit soaking
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Spatula and wooden spoon
- Fine grater or zester
- Skewer for testing doneness
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Fruit Mix (Soak Overnight)
- 175 g sultanas
- 175 g dried currants
- 110 g glace cherries chopped
- 50 g mixed candied peel finely chopped
- 3 tbsp brandy or fresh orange juice
Cake Batter
- 225 g plain all purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 225 g soft dark brown sugar
- 225 g spreadable butter
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- 50 g chopped almonds optional
- ½ tsp salt
For Feeding & Topping
- Extra brandy for feeding the baked cake
- 100 g whole blanched almonds optional decoration
Instructions
Soak The Fruit
- Put the currants, sultanas, raisins, glace cherries, and candied peel into a bowl. Pour the brandy (or orange juice) over the top, stir everything together, cover, and leave it to soak overnight.
Prepare The Cake Tin
- Heat the oven to 140°C (275°F). Line your cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment, making sure the sides have a tall collar to stop the cake from over browning during the long bake.
Mix The Dry Ingredients
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, mixed spice, and salt. Add the grated lemon and orange zest and stir through.
Cream The Butter And Sugar
- In another bowl, beat the butter and dark brown sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the black treacle.
Bring Everything Together
- Gently fold the dry mixture into the butter and sugar. Add the soaked fruit along with any leftover soaking liquid. Stir in the chopped almonds if you’re using them.
Fill The Tin
- Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and level the surface. If you’d like a decorative top, place whole blanched almonds neatly across the surface.
Bake Slowly
- Bake on the lower shelf of the oven for 4–4½ hours. The cake is ready when a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.
Cool, Store, And Feed
- Let the cake cool completely in the tin. Once cold, unwrap it, then wrap it again in fresh parchment and foil. Store in an airtight tin. Each week leading up to Christmas, drizzle 1–2 tablespoons of brandy over the cake to keep it moist and full of flavour.
Notes
Note: This traditional Christmas cake improves with time, so bake it weeks ahead for the best flavour. Regularly feed it with brandy to keep it moist and rich. Allow the fruit to soak overnight, ensuring every slice is fragrant, festive, and wonderfully tender.