Mary Berry’s Christmas Cake

Mary Berry’s classic fruit cake is the perfect finish to a Christmas day feast. It also makes an impressive table centrepiece that all the family will enjoy!

a plate with a piece of food on it
Recipes
Posted 29 October 2018
Share this recipe:
Prep: 5 hours 30 minutes Cook: Over 5 hrs
Difficulty level
difficult
Number of servings
Serves:
12

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 350g/12oz currants
  • 225g/8oz sultanas
  • 225g/8oz raisins
  • 175g/6oz glacé cherries, rinsed, dried and quartered
  • 175g/6oz ready-to-eat dried apricots, snipped into pieces
  • 75g/3oz mixed candied peel, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp brandy, plus extra brandy for 'feeding' the cake
  • 275g/10 oz plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 400g/14oz butter, softened
  • 400g/14oz dark muscovado sugar
  • 5 free-range eggs
  • 65g/2 1/2 whole almonds, chopped (skins left on)
  • 1 tbsp black treacle
  • 1 lemon, grated zest only
  • 1 orange, grated zest only

For the decoration

  • Whole blanched almonds
  • Glace cherries, rinsed, dried and halved

Method

Preparation

  1. Put the currants, sultanas, raisins, glacé cherries, snipped apricots and mixed peel in a large bowl. Stir in the brandy, cover the bowl and leave in a cool place overnight.
  2. Lightly grease a 23cm/9 in deep round cake tin. Cut a strip of non-stick baking parchment to fit twice around the sides of the tin, fold the bottom edge of the strip up by about 2.5cm/1inch creasing it firmly, then open out the fold and cut slanting lines into this narrow strip at intervals.
  3. Cut a circle of non-stick baking parchment into the base of the tin, lightly grease the outer edge and then fit the prepared strip of parchment with the snipped edge in the base of the tin to line the sides of the tin. Place a second circle of non-stick baking parchment in to cover the cut part of the paper.
  4. Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1.
  5. Put the flour, grated nutmeg, mixed spice, butter, sugar, eggs, chopped almonds, black treacle and the citrus zest into a large bowl and beat well to mix thoroughly. Fold in the soaked fruits.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon. Decorate the top with the whole blanched almonds and glacé cherries, pushing them lightly into the top of the cake mixture. Cover the top of the cake loosely with a double layer of greaseproof paper. Bake in the preheated oven for about 4¼-4 ¾ hours, or until the cake feels firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin.
  7. When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and 'feed' with a little splash of brandy. Once the cake is completely cold, leave the lining paper on the cake, wrap in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil. Store in a cool, dry place for up to three months, feeding at intervals with more brandy.

A recipe for a happy retirement

With their glossy contemporary kitchens, our retirement apartments and retirement bungalows are perfectly designed for your to cook up a storm. And, if you live in a Retirement Living PLUS property and fancy a hearty meal without the faff, you can pop to the subsidised, stylish and sociable restaurant/bistro when you want to, too.

Learn more about our lovely retirement homes near you, call our friendly team on 0800 201 4811 or contact us online for more information.

Share this recipe:

Sign up to our newsletter

Be the first to discover exclusive offers, welcoming events, brand new homes near you and so much more. Don't miss out!


By submitting this form, you consent to receiving relevant updates, offers, and marketing communications from McCarthy Stone. These communications will relate to products and services that may be of interest to you based on your enquiry. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in our emails or by contacting us directly.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.