The easiest Christmas cake ever

Name: The easiest Christmas cake ever
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Ingredients: 1 kg (2lb 4oz) mixed dried fruit; 100 g (3 1/2oz) dried, ready-to-eat pitted prunes, roughly chopped; 50 g (2oz) dried, ready-to-eat figs, roughly chopped; 100 g (3 1/2oz) dried cranberries; 2 balls stem ginger in syrup, grated and syrup reserved; Zest and juice of 1 orange; 175 mL (6fl oz) brandy; 2 splashes Angostura bitters; 175 g (6oz) unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease; 175 g (6oz) dark muscovado sugar; 200 g (7oz) self-raising flour; 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves; 4 medium eggs, beaten

There’s no complicated method or zero-baking know-how required with this festive cake recipe

By The GH Kitchen TeamPublished: 10 November 2005

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Food, Ingredient, Cuisine, Cookware and bakeware, Bottle, Dish, Recipe, Cooking, Condiment, Spice,

Serving notes: Cuts into 16 slices

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Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

2 hrs 30 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs

Ingredients

1 kg (2lb 4oz) mixed dried fruit
100 g (3 1/2oz) dried, ready-to-eat pitted prunes, roughly chopped
50 g (2oz) dried, ready-to-eat figs, roughly chopped
100 g (3 1/2oz) dried cranberries
2 balls stem ginger in syrup, grated and syrup reserved
Zest and juice of 1 orange
175 ml (6fl oz) brandy
2 splashes Angostura bitters
175 g (6oz) unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra to grease
175 g (6oz) dark muscovado sugar
200 g (7oz) self-raising flour
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves
4 medium eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Step 1
  Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20.5cm (8in) deep cake tin.
2. Step 2
  Put all the dried fruit in a very large pan and add the ginger, 1tbsp reserved ginger syrup, orange zest and juice, brandy and Angostura bitters. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5min. Add butter and sugar and heat gently to melt. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
3. Step 3
  Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. Add the flour, spices and beaten egg, then mix together well.
4. Step 4
  Pour mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Wrap the sides of the tin in brown paper and secure with string to protect the cake during cooking. Bake for 2-2½hr. Leave in the tin for 2-3hr, then remove and allow to cool on a wire rack, leaving the greaseproof paper on. Wrap cake in a layer of clingfilm, then foil. Store in an airtight container.
  
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Make ahead

After two weeks of maturing, prick the cake all over with a metal skewer and sprinkle over 1tbsp brandy. Leave to soak in, then rewrap and store as before. The Christmas cake will keep for up to three months.

Per Serving:

Calories: 390
Total carbs: 67 g
Total fat: 11 g
Saturated fat: 6 g

The GH Kitchen Team

The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor ⁠Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce ⁠Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time