Easy-Action Christmas Cake
by Nigella. Featured in FEASTIntroduction
I just throw everything into a pan, let the heat from the stove send buttery rum and citrus juices permeating into the currants, sultanas and raisins, add flour and eggs, a can of chestnut purée to give grainy, Christmassy depth, bung the lot into a cake tin and let this stand in a low oven to produce a cake that is as dense, aromatic and fruity as you could hope for. The input from you is mimimal. Culinary self esteem — and Christmas spirit — never came at so low an emotional cost.
You can decorate as you wish, but here I have tried to get a bit artistic and have used my Smooth Hatbox Icing, cutting out snowflakes with my cookie cutters.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I just throw everything into a pan, let the heat from the stove send buttery rum and citrus juices permeating into the currants, sultanas and raisins, add flour and eggs, a can of chestnut purée to give grainy, Christmassy depth, bung the lot into a cake tin and let this stand in a low oven to produce a cake that is as dense, aromatic and fruity as you could hope for. The input from you is mimimal. Culinary self esteem — and Christmas spirit — never came at so low an emotional cost.
You can decorate as you wish, but here I have tried to get a bit artistic and have used my Smooth Hatbox Icing, cutting out snowflakes with my cookie cutters.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Yields: about 10-12 slices
- 775 grams best-quality mixed dried fruit
- 175 grams unsalted butter
- 250 grams dark brown muscovado sugar
- 1 x 250 grams tin sweetened chestnut puree
- 125 millilitres dark rum
- juice and zest of 1 orange
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 250 grams plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 cups best-quality mixed dried fruit
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups dark brown sugar
- 9 ounces tin sweetened chestnut puree
- ½ cup dark rum
- juice and zest of 1 orange
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Method
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150°C/130°C Fan/300°F (though you might prefer to do this after the fruits and so forth have started bubbling in their pan). Line the sides and bottom of a deep 20cm / 8-inch round cake tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper (parchment paper). The greaseproof should be higher than the sides of the tin. Wrap a double layer of brown paper (the kind used for parcels) around the outside of the tin, tying it with string. The paper should be double the height of the tin, and this gives an extra layer of insulation for the cake so that it cooks slowly. If you don’t have any brown paper, it is not absolutely necessary, but it will keep the cake from becoming too dark around the sides and top.
- Put the dried fruit, butter, sugar, chestnut purée or spread, rum and orange juice and zests into a large wide saucepan and bring to the boil gently, stirring as the butter melts. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, and then take it off the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes, by which time the fruits will have been soused and the mixture cooled slightly. Now, add the beaten eggs, flour, baking powder and spices and stir to combine.
- Pour the fruit cake mixture very carefully into the prepared cake tin.
- Place in the oven and bake for 1¾–2 hours, by which time the top of the cake should be firm and dry and will have cracked a little. If you insert a cake tester into the middle of the cake it will still come out a little sticky.
- Put the cake on a cooling rack and take off the brown paper from around the outside of the tin. It will hold its heat and take a long while to cool, but once it has cooled completely, unmould it from the tin and wrap the cake well in a layer of greaseproof paper and then foil until you want to decorate it.
- The cake will keep for a couple of months well wrapped and in a cool dark place. If you want a more boozy offering you can feed the cake with 3 tablespoons more rum as soon as it gets out of the oven. That’s to say, pierce the top of the cake several times with a fine skewer, spoon over the rum and let it sink in.
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 2/150°C/130°C Fan/300°F (though you might prefer to do this after the fruits and so forth have started bubbling in their pan). Line the sides and bottom of a deep 20cm / 8-inch round cake tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper (parchment paper). The greaseproof should be higher than the sides of the tin. Wrap a double layer of brown paper (the kind used for parcels) around the outside of the tin, tying it with string. The paper should be double the height of the tin, and this gives an extra layer of insulation for the cake so that it cooks slowly. If you don’t have any brown paper, it is not absolutely necessary, but it will keep the cake from becoming too dark around the sides and top.
- Put the dried fruit, butter, sugar, chestnut purée or spread, rum and orange juice and zests into a large wide saucepan and bring to the boil gently, stirring as the butter melts. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, and then take it off the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes, by which time the fruits will have been soused and the mixture cooled slightly. Now, add the beaten eggs, flour, baking powder and spices and stir to combine.
- Pour the fruit cake mixture very carefully into the prepared cake tin.
- Place in the oven and bake for 1¾–2 hours, by which time the top of the cake should be firm and dry and will have cracked a little. If you insert a cake tester into the middle of the cake it will still come out a little sticky.
- Put the cake on a cooling rack and take off the brown paper from around the outside of the tin. It will hold its heat and take a long while to cool, but once it has cooled completely, unmould it from the tin and wrap the cake well in a layer of greaseproof paper and then foil until you want to decorate it.
- The cake will keep for a couple of months well wrapped and in a cool dark place. If you want a more boozy offering you can feed the cake with 3 tablespoons more rum as soon as it gets out of the oven. That’s to say, pierce the top of the cake several times with a fine skewer, spoon over the rum and let it sink in.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 month (with or without icing).
To freeze, wrap the un-iced cake tightly in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil for up to 3 months. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for about 4 hours. Make sure the cake is at room temperature before adding any marzipan or icing. After icing, store as above.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 month (with or without icing).
To freeze, wrap the un-iced cake tightly in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil for up to 3 months. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for about 4 hours. Make sure the cake is at room temperature before adding any marzipan or icing. After icing, store as above.
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Show more commentsFor any Americans who couldn't find chestnut puree, I used cherry jam and it was perfectly gorgeous. Texture, baking time, shelf life, all the same. And it was fruity and divine.
What a lovely cake , moist not to heavy, I covered mine in marzipan and icing , I had great comments from every body who tasted it . Will be making one for Easter !
This is now my go to Christmas cake. I use unsweetened chestnut purée as being in Canada it’s not easy to find, but to be honest it works!
Have made this for the last 3 years and just about to make it again. So easy and has great reviews!
Made this for Christmas - dead easy and delicious! About to make another one if I can find any chestnut puree. Fruitcake heaven!