britisheasy

Christmas cake

Name: Christmas cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: british
Ingredients: 200 g Butter; 200 g Muscovado Sugar; 200 g Plain Flour; 4 Beaten Eggs; 50 g Ground Almonds; 100 ml Sherry; 85 g Candied Peel; 85 g Glace Cherry; 250 g Raisins; 250 g Currants; 100 g Pecan Nuts; Grated zest of 1 Lemon; 1 ½ tbsp Mixed Spice; 1 ½ tbsp Rose water; 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

A classic British dessert from TheMealDB community kitchen — straightforward technique, real ingredients.

Updated April 25, 2026

min total

servings

1466

cal / serving

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Heads up: dietary tags are inferred from listed ingredients. If you have a medical allergy or intolerance, verify each ingredient against a label before cooking. This is not certified-allergen-safe content.

Origin

Categorized as British Dessert in TheMealDB. Original source: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/angela-nilsens-christmas-cake

Ingredients

200 gButter
200 gMuscovado Sugar
200 gPlain Flour
4 BeatenEggs
50 gGround Almonds
100 mlSherry
85 gCandied Peel
85 gGlace Cherry
250 gRaisins
250 gCurrants
100 gPecan Nuts
Grated zest of 1Lemon
1 ½ tbspMixed Spice
1 ½ tbspRose water
1/2 tspVanilla Extract
1/2 tspBaking Powder

Instructions

01
Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Line the base and sides of a 20 cm round, 7.5 cm deep cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 mins until very creamy and pale in colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl half way through. Stir in a spoonful of the flour, then stir in the beaten egg and the rest of the flour alternately, a quarter at a time, beating well each time with a wooden spoon. Stir in the almonds.
02
Mix in the sherry (the mix will look curdled), then add the peel, cherries, raisins, cherries, nuts, lemon zest, spice, rosewater and vanilla. Beat together to mix, then stir in the baking powder.
03
Spoon mixture into the tin and smooth the top, making a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 30 mins, then lower temperature to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and bake a further 2-2¼ hrs, until a skewer insterted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then take out of the tin and peel off the lining paper. When completely cold, wrap well in cling film and foil to store until ready to decorate. The cake will keep for several months.